


The Quest

by CatWinchester



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Badass SHIELD Agents, Drama, F/M, Helheimr | Hel (Realm), Miðgarðr | Midgard, Odin is a dick, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-06
Updated: 2014-12-06
Packaged: 2018-02-12 01:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2090874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatWinchester/pseuds/CatWinchester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Guilt isn’t a feeling that Loki experiences often but his mother’s death still plagues him and he is determined to make things right. Upon release from Asgard’s jail he sets about a way to bring her back and it turns out that the SHIELD agent sent to monitor his release, might just hold the key to the impossible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

Faith couldn't believe how good she felt since arriving on Asgard; strong, healthy, even her hair felt more lustrous. She was certainly going to feel physically good while she was here, if nothing else.

They had ridden from the site of the bifrost and since she didn't know how to ride a horse, she had been too busy trying to stay on the beast to sightsee, but she had liked what little she had seen and was looking forward to exploring properly. Thor told her that servants would take her cases from the bifrost to her rooms, apparently, and she vaguely wondered what 'rooms' looked like, having never in her life had more than one to call her own.

They dismounted at the palace entrance and stewards took the horses from them. Faith just had time to look up and realise how huge this place was, before she had to jog to keep up with Thor.

"It is a good day," Thor said with a smile, glancing at her.

She didn't reply.

"You disagree?"

"It depends on your point of view," she answered.

"I know you mortals are not exactly thrilled at Loki's release, but he is a changed man."

"Is he?"

"He is," Thor assured her.

"Which is why he pretended to be Odin?"

"The Allfather was not harmed," Thor assured her. "And while leading our people, Loki proved himself a good leader and a good man. He is the reason we were able to defeat Thanos."

Faith said nothing, unable to believe that a man could have a complete change of character. If he had been a good man while posing as Odin, it was probably because he was mimicking Odin.

"You will see for yourself in time, and be able to report back to your superiors," Thor said with a confident smile.

Faith nodded her understanding.

After walking what felt like a mile of corridors, they finally reached the throne room, which needed another long hike to reach the throne.

"It's a good job I'm fit," she said softly. "I have a feeling I could ran a marathon in this place just walking to and from my quarters."

Thor chuckled softly.

When they finally reached the base of the throne, Thor kneeled and Faith followed suit.

"Allfather, I bring you SHIELD's representative from Midgard, the Lady Faith."

"Rise," the Allfather said, and they both got to their feet. "I do not like the idea of a mortal on Asgard, you do not belong here, you are too fragile."

' _Nice to meet you too_ ,' she thought but she wasn't brave enough to say it.

"However, given Loki's actions on your planet, I have decided to grant you permission to stay in the hopes of improving relations between our realms. This does not mean your presence is welcome here and should any harm befall you whilst here, Thor has made it clear to your employers that we will bear no responsibility for it."

 _'Gee, you're all fun and games,'_ she thought, but she answered with, "I understand."

"Take care that you do not interrupt the normal functioning of the palace."

"I will."

"Good. Now go."

She wanted to ask when Loki would be released but she felt oddly intimidated by his hostility. Even Fury's abrupt attitude was nothing compared to Odin.

They left but it seemed to take an eternity to get to the end of the hall.

"He's a barrel of laughs," she said as they finally left the hallway.

"He took my mother's death hard, and Loki's rule even harder. Those who know of Loki's deception say he was a better king than the Allfather, and Odin is not pleased by that. He has become quite insular, and even more bad tempered that he used to be."

Faith detected the dark tone in his voice.

"What did he do to you?" she asked.

Thor glanced at her and took a moment before deciding to answer. "He called me back to Asgard."

Faith knew he had been living on Earth, working for SHIELD and living with Jane Foster, but she wasn't privy to the reasons for his return to Asgard. Apparently, it hadn't been his choice.

"Why?"

"It was Loki that granted me my freedom to return to Midgard and be with Jane. Odin however, wishes me to take the throne within the next year."

"Why don't you? Then you can make the rules?"

"True, but I cannot abdicate the throne once I claim it, nor can I marry a mortal woman."

"Why?" She knew that a few human kings had abdicated their thrones, some for love, and some to allow their children their chance to rule.

"Both actions would bring shame to the House of Odin," Thor explained, as if it should be obvious.

"Edward VIII abdicated the throne to be with Mrs Simpson. It was a scandal at the time but most were able to see the romance in giving up a throne for true love. They even make movies about it now." She glanced at Thor and saw that he had a wistful smile on his lips.

She hoped he would think about it. Lord knows that if she found someone to love, nothing would keep her from them. That was extremely unlikely, she was too weird to even have many friends, let alone boyfriends, but it didn't stop her from wanting other's to be happy.

"Come, your quarters are this way," Thor said, effectively changing the subject.

"When will Loki be released?"

"Later today."

"Forgive me for asking but given what you've said about Odin, I'm surprised he's releasing Loki."

"It was not his decision. The council voted unanimously for his release, and that is the only time that Odin's proclamations can be over ridden."

"How long has he been in jail? Back in jail, that is?"

"Since his deception was revealed, a year ago."

That didn't seem very long to Faith.

They marched along miles of corridors and chambers, gold, marble and stone everywhere. Finally they stopped by gold doors that were easily fifteen feet high, and Thor pushed them open.

"These will be your chambers," Thor explained. "Loki's are beside your, and mine the next door after that."

They were massive, and this was just the sitting room, apparently. A woman who had been sitting on a chair by the door, stood as they entered and approached them.

"This is Ilmr, she will be your handmaiden while you are here. Anything you require, she will find for you."

The woman lowered her head slightly in acknowledgement.

"Pleased to meet you," Faith said.

"And you, My Lady. Your belongings have been brought here but the contents are so unusual, I wasn't sure what to do with them."

"I can unpack, thank you."

"As you wish."

Thor patted Faith's shoulder. "I shall bring Loki to meet you when he is released."

"Thank you."

He turned and left.

"Shall I show you around, My Lady?"

"Please. And please call me Faith."

"As you wish."

While the rooms were huge, the tour was relatively quick, consisting of a living room, a large balcony, a bedroom, bathroom and a large (but empty) closet. The furnishings were mostly in deep purple, so it was handy that she liked that colour. Her mission here was open ended, so it might be quite some time before she left.

As soon as the tour was over, she began unpacking her cases, starting with the one labelled Stark. It housed the technology that would allow her to communicate with SHIELD on earth and she set it up on half of the dining room table. It took her quite some time but she had practiced on Earth before leaving, so she was able to assemble the equipment with more ease than the average Ikea furniture.

"My Lady?"

She didn't reply not because she was being rude but because she was concentrating, and it was an unfamiliar title.

"Faith?"

"Yes?" She looked to Ilmr.

"Your wardrobe is rather… out of place for Asgard. I wondered if you would like me to procure garments that are more in keeping with those around you."

She looked down to her skin tight SHIELD uniform and thought that it couldn't hurt to have options.

"If it's no trouble, but no dresses."

"You dislike them?"

"Very much," she said with feeling.

"As you wish," Ilmr seemed to be thinking.

"I don't even care if it's masculine looking," Faith added. "I know I'm a woman, I have no need for my wardrobe to scream it."

"Perhaps something like the Lady Sif's casual wardrobe."

Faith had no idea who that was or what it would look like. "I'll leave that to you, if I may?"

"Of course." The girl disappeared and Faith continued with her task. When she was finished, she sat by the contraption she had built and turned it on.

The computer and transmitter were powered by an arc reactor, which would last for years, even given the immense power needed for interstellar communication.

The machine began to whirr and a receiver and antenna opened from within. Stark was broadcasting a test signal for the equipment to latch on to and after a few moments of searching, it found and tuned itself to the signal.

The screen flickered to life, showing a test card, albeit it with Tony's image right in the centre. Egomaniac.

"This is Agent Addisen to SHIELD HQ, are you receiving, over?"

She waited a few moments, then repeated the message. As she was about to repeat herself for the third time, the test card vanished and Stark's visage filled the screen.

"Oh, Agent Hippie, good to hear from you. I take it you arrived safely?"

"In one piece. Loki hasn't been released yet, that should happen later today. I'll keep SHELD informed of any incidence of consequence."

"What, no small talk?" Stark seemed hurt.

"I have a job to do, Mr Stark. Please relay the news of my safe arrival to Director Fury. Addisen out."

"You know, all work and no play makes Faith a dull girl," Tony was saying.

She cut the connection from her end, although she could still receive incoming broadcasts and could still hear Stark talking to himself.

She got up from the table to escape him. She didn't mean to be rude to Stark, she didn't even dislike him, not really, but he did unnerve her with his constant questions and quips. She was introverted by nature and Tony seemed to enjoy trying to draw her out, and it was her embarrassment that caused her to be rude. She wasn't proud of that fact but then again, Tony didn't take her more subtle hints.

She unpacked her clothes, toiletries and personal effects next but hadn't yet finished when Thor strode into the room, without knocking and with a disgruntled looking Loki in tow.

"My Lady Faith, might I present to you my brother, Prince Loki of Asgard."

Faith nodded. "I wish I could say it's a pleasure."

"I understand that I must talk with you once a day," Loki said, looking down at his nails and picking at them as he spoke.

"Yes," she agreed. "Unless it interferes with your busy manicure schedule."

Loki glared at her. "Let's get today's _meeting_ over with shall we? I have far more pleasurable things to be doing."

"Is that all right with you, Lady Faith?" Thor asked.

"It's fine," I smiled at him then turned to Loki. "Shall we sit?" She gestured to two wing backed chairs by a huge fireplace.

"Why not?" Loki asked with a rather too cordial smile. "And perhaps some refreshments while we talk?"

Thor left.

"Whatever you want," Faith agreed, retrieving something from the interstellar radio. She took a seat in an armchair and turned the recording device on as she waited for him to sit opposite.

"You're recording our conversations?" Loki asked.

"I am." She placed the device on the arm of her chair and waited.

Loki took his time looking around her room, then his eyes ran over her SHIELD outfit, taking in her curves and offering her salacious smirks. She knew he was just trying to unnerve her but she was too well trained to react, so she sat in silence.

When he ran out of things to look at, finally he spoke.

"So, what would you like to talk about?" he asked.

"I don't mind, you choose."

"So you request a daily meeting, but with no agenda?"

"I didn't request the meetings, my bosses did."

"And yet here you sit, half an hour into our first meeting, and you haven't made any attempt to fulfil your employer's wishes."

"I have no real desire to converse with you, Loki. A feeling I'm sure you reciprocate," she couldn't keep the slight smile from her lips and he too laughed.

"So it seems we are both in the same boat," he added.

Faith acknowledged his words with a small nod.

"Well, we might as well make the best of it, as they say." He smiled at her. "About those refreshments, perhaps some wine?"

He waved his hand and two goblets appeared on the side table between their chairs.

Faith knew he was trying to play her, pretending to be cordial and superficially charming, but she didn't believe his act and she wasn't going to play along.

"Sitting quietly is making the best of it, as far as I'm concerned." She thought that's he saw a flicker of hesitation in his eyes but he quickly recovered.

"Well, I suppose that an hour looking at you in that costume each day might have some benefits."

Faith didn't answer and the rest of the hour passed in silence, until Thor returned.

"Well, it's been fun," Loki said as he arose, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I shall look forward to more of the same scintillating conversation tomorrow. Same time?"

"It's up to you."

"The same time then." With a smirk and a small bow, he left.

She waited until she was sure he was gone, then went to the computer and uploaded the conversation, along with her written report, both of which she transmitted to Earth.

By the time she had done that, Ilmr was back, and her closet was now almost a quarter full of new clothing. She went to take a look and saw a lot of leather and boots, as well as a few dresses that the handmaiden had snuck in. Faith didn't mention it.

"Thank you, Ilmr."

"My pleasure, My Lady. Would you like me to help you change?"

"Thank you but no. Where I come from, only infants and the infirm need help dressing."

"As you wish. Are you hungry?"

"A little. What are meal arrangements like here?" Faith asked as she browsed the clothing rail. She picked out leather jeans, ankle boots, a tunic and a wide belt.

"There are many communal dining halls where most of the palace eat but the Royals don't use their dining room any longer, not since Queen Frigga's death. I suppose you could eat in the servants dining room and once you have made friends, you would probably be welcome in the halls of other families who live in the palace. There are also a local inns and taverns if you wish to go out, or you can have meals sent to your room."

"Odin made it clear I wasn't welcome here so I think I'll eat in my room," Faith said. "How do I do that?"

"Our methods won't work for you, so just tell me what you want and I'll get it for you."

"Will you show me anyway?"

"Of course, My Lady."

"Call me Faith, please."

"Yes, My Lady Faith. Would you like me to show you now?"

"Please."

She left the clothes she had picked out draped over a chair and followed Ilmr into the living room. The girl approached the table and placed her hand on it. Moments later, scroll, appeared on the table.

Ilmr unrolled it and Faith saw that it was written in Asgardian.

"I'll transcribe the menus into English each day," Ilmr said.

"No need," Faith assured her, reading the main courses over her shoulder. "Wild boar stew with sandalwood bread, pheasant marinated in seventeen spices, venison tile, or lampreys with hot sauce. You don't have many vegetarians in Asgard, do you?"

"Vegetarians?" Ilmr looked puzzled.

"They're people who don't eat animals. Don't worry, I'm not one of them, I like bacon too much."

"How did you learn our language?"

"I pick things up quickly," Faith said by way of explanation. "Once I've decided, I assume that you place a hand on the table and wish for what I want?"

"Essentially, yes. The dinner items won't be ready for a few hours yet, but there are a few snack items on the bottom that are available all day."

She handed the menu to Faith, who opted for a selection of breads and cold meats to tide her over. Ilmr placed her hand on the table and a huge platter appeared.

"That's way too much food, the kitchen does realise I'm just one person, right?"

"Don't worry, there is no waste in Asgard. The food that is good enough is given to the poor of the city, and the rest goes to feed livestock and other animals."

"You still have poverty?" she asked, curious to know more about the society.

"We have no one who lives in poverty but unfortunately, anyone can fall on hard times."

"I'll just get changed. Perhaps after I've eaten, you could show me around. Are you allowed to do that?"

"Of course, My Lady."

* * *

"Who exactly _is_ that strange woman?" Loki asked as he and his brother headed for his rooms.

"I have already told you, she is Agent Faith Addisen of SHIELD."

"I didn't ask you her name, I asked _who she is_. Why was she selected to watch me?"

"Why should that bother you?"

"Because I can't get a read on her. I merely wish to know her character, Brother, to understand her a little better."

"I confess I am not well acquainted with her myself. She is one of the Avengers but I have only met her on a handful of occasions, before Father called me back to Asgard."

They entered Loki's chambers.

"Would you care for some refreshments?"

"Thank you, Loki,"

They headed to the balcony and Loki conjured a two goblets of spiced wine. Handing one to Thor before he walked to the edge of the balcony and turned his face to the sun, closing his eyes.

"It must feel good to be free," Thor said softly.

"Hmm," Loki agreed and after a moment more, turned to Thor. "I am sorry about Jane, Brother. I had hoped to give you longer with her but I was discovered too soon."

"Thank you," Thor said sincerely. "Odin said that you only wanted me out of the way but I cannot believe it was just that. You fooled even those closest to Odin for two years, and I find it hard to believe you think highly enough of me that you would need me gone."

Loki smirked. "So you prefer to believe I think you dumb and did something nice, than that I respect you and wanted you gone."

"Something like that," Thor said with a chuckle.

Loki didn't confirm either perspective.

"So what now, Brother? Now that you are free, what are your plans?"

Loki couldn't reveal too much for fear that Thor would stop him, but he had a plan, the one thing he didn't have time to do while posing as Odin.

"I think I shall just enjoy myself for a while. Besides, the council may have released me, but I doubt that either they or Odin will let me wander very far for a while."

"Then tonight we shall celebrate, Brother. How do you feel about a trip into town, visiting our favourite taverns?"

"Your favourite taverns," Loki reminded him, which Thor conceded with a shrug. "And besides, is there no celebration ball to welcome me back into the fold?" He knew the answer, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel a little bitter about it.

"Without Mother, there are few celebrations these days, beyond the expected ones."

Loki nodded and leaned against the balcony railing and both brother were silent as they looked out over the city.

"You know, I never really understood the mortal's desire for graves, until I missed our mother's funeral."

"I am sorry, Brother. I begged father to allow you to attend, but he would not allow it."

"I'm not surprised. Any compassion he showed was as a direct result of Frigga, but I thank you for trying."

"Frigga?" Thor repeated. "Please don't tell me that you continue to deny that my parents are also yours."

"I acknowledge Frigga as my mother, but I will never acknowledge Odin as a parent."

"Loki," Thor said with a sigh. "How can you expect to reconcile with father if you continue to deny his role in your life?"

"I deny nothing, Thor. I once adored him and wanted nothing more than to earn his respect. I even killed my real father to prove myself to him, and still it wasn't enough. Now I want nothing from him, not even his name."

"Yet you stay in his home and are treated as a prince because of your connection to him."

"After defeating Thanos with the loss of only a handful of our people, I believe I have earned that respect. Besides, the palace is not Odin's, it belongs to Asgard and houses easily a thousand families."

Thor sighed.

"I don't understand your blind devotion to the man, he is ruining your chance at happiness with Jane. Why do you continue to defend him?"

"He has the best interests of the realm at heart."

"Does he?" Clearly, Loki wasn't convinced.

"Yes. Now please, let us talk no more of this, I have no wish to fight with you."

"Nor I, Thor." Loki sighed. "So, the human, you said she was an Avenger, correct?"

"I did."

"Then what are her gifts?"

"Now where would be the fun in that?" Thor smiled. "I will give you a clue though; her code name is Mimic."

"Mimic," Loki repeated. "I take it she does impressions then. Should be entertaining, but hardly useful."

Thor just smiled. "I shall now leave you now to get reacquainted with your quarters. Until tonight, Brother."

* * *

In Asgardian clothing and with her long dark hair now braised down her back, Faith could easily pass as a native and no one gawked at her, which she was glad of.

After a tour of the most important parts of the palace, the Faith and Ilmr ventured out into the town and Ilmr pointed out things of interest. They toured the shopping district, some of the gardens and finally Ilmr suggested that they dine in a local tavern. The palace had accounts with all the local merchants and taverns, so Ilmr explained that they only needed charge the palace for any purchases.

"How does that work?" Faith asked.

"Simply give your name."

"What's to stop someone else using my name?"

"For someone called Faith, you do not seem to have a lot of it," Ilmr noted with amusement.

"Unfortunately, I didn't get to pick my name. The question still stands."

"Accountants at the Palace check all the ledgers, and they have magical means of determining if any purchases are false."

Faith had little option but to believe her.

"This tavern looks popular," Ilmr said as they approached one. "They may have entertainment."

Faith followed after her inside, content to be led for the time being.

The bar was loud and crowded but three gentlemen quickly gave their table up for a pair of "beautiful ladies," only to then insist upon joining them. They made Faith uncomfortable but Ilmr was enjoying the attention.

They had not been seated for long, when Faith noticed the princes sitting over the other side of the tavern, surrounded by people. She watched Loki closely for a few minutes and while he appeared to be having fun, with a pretty maiden sitting on his knee and telling tales of his battle with Thanos, Faith didn't think his heart was in it. When Thor spoke up, she noticed that his smile dipped considerably, and not with envy or anger, more as if he was enjoying his respite from acting.

"So, you have your eye on a Prince," the man sitting next to her said, leaning in too close for comfort.

She turned to look at him and found his face far too close for comfort. "No." She leaned away, wary that he might try to kiss her. "Just curious," she answered.

As the night wore on, the gentlemen continued to push alcohol on them, badgering Faith when she did not drink up quickly enough. Faith paid them no mind, since she had no intention of drinking enough to become insensible. She liked a drink but even back home, she rarely had enough to get drunk. It seemed to her that her goblets of mead were removed and replaced when they were not even a third empty. She didn't even like mead.

After having been there for two hours, and not a meal in sight, Faith was growing weary. The crowd had only grown louder as more alcohol was imbibed and the man beside her, Gunnar, had become very handsy, with one arm around her shoulders, one around her waist and more than once, he had tried to pull her onto his lap. She was getting tired of fending him off.

When she saw Ilmr sitting on another's lap, kissing him passionately, Faith noticed that many of the patrons were involved in similar activities and she decided that it was time for her to leave.

"If you'll excuse me, I think I should be going." She got up from the table but Gunnar lunged at her, trying to keep her sitting.

"Oh, come now, the night is young! Stay, please, I am enjoying your company." He got up from the table and put his arms around her waist, holding her back to his chest.

"Maybe, but I am not enjoying yours. Goodnight."

"Now, now, Lady Faith, what's the hurry?"

"The hurry, is that I don't want to be here. Please let me go." She really didn't want to cause a scene, Odin didn't want her here to begin with and causing a fight would not endear her to him, but she feared it was becoming inevitable.

One of Gunnar's hands moved from her waist to her breast, the other to her crotch. A swift stamp on his instep brought his head down, while she sharply thrust her head backwards and was gratified when she heard the crunch of his nose. A final elbow to the ribs listened his grip and she stepped out of his arms, turning to see him holding his nose.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"For not taking 'no' for an answer.

"But-" he stepped forward, as if unable to believe that any woman could refuse him, but a swift kick to his groin finally sent him to the ground.

Only then did she realise that she had an audience, although they cheered, seemingly on her side (or just enjoying a fight, regardless of the combatants). As she turned to leave, she noticed the princes watching her. Thor was grinning and raised a glass in silent toast to her. Loki only looked mildly amused, but very curious.

She nodded in acknowledgement of them, then turned to leave.

"I have to go," she heard Ilmr saying, and the girl caught up with her at the door.

"You don't have to come," Faith assured her.

"But you'll need someone to take you back to the palace."

"I can find my own way. Honestly, Ilmr, if you want to stay, please do."

"You really don't mind?"

"Not in the slightest."

Ilmr grinned. "Thank you." She ran back to her beau and Faith left the tavern, before Gunnar could recover.

SHIELD had trained her, so she was practiced at finding her way but even if she hadn't been, the Palace was huge and she would literally be unable to not find her way back to it. She walked slowly though, since it was a temperate night and she was enjoying her walk.

"You took him down like a pro."

Faith jumped as she realised Loki was suddenly standing beside her.

"Tell me, how does a mortal manage that?"

"SHIELD trained me well."

Loki chuckled. "Perhaps, but I have fought SHIELD agents, and they are no match for our kind. Not even Captain America and Iron man could have bested me, had I not wanted to be captured."

Faith didn't answer.

"Are you enhanced, like the Captain? Perhaps you took something more like the Hulk?"

"No."

"Then how did you defeat him?"

"I guess because he was drunk and I got lucky."

"You have imbibed a fair amount too," he noted. "The barman must have brought nine rounds to your table."

"Were you counting?" she asked, smiling for reason she couldn't explain.

"I'm always aware."

"Then you should be aware that most of the glasses they took away were hardly touched. I don't like being drunk."

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully as they walked. "So you claim to be completely human."

"I am," she agreed. "No meddling, no potions, no serums, no experiments."

Loki considered that as they walked.

"You shouldn't have left your maid there, you know," he finally broke the silence.

Faith's heart stopped for a second and she grabbed his arm to stop him. "Is she in danger?"

"No," he said, sounding amused. "She seemed to be enjoying herself. I only say that because it is unseemly for one's personal servants to make a show of themselves in public. There are many halls within the palace where they can misbehave, should they want to."

Relieved, Faith continued walking. "Well luckily, I don't think I own her, so she's free to behave however she wants."

Loki clearly didn't like that idea but didn't argue anymore.

"Aren't you heading back to the tavern?" she asked.

"No, I don't think so."

"Your first day of freedom, and you're having an early night?"

He smirked. "I never was much of one for taverns."

Faith looked him up and down but didn't reply.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"You don't look at someone like that if it's nothing."

Faith didn't reply.

"You won't anger me, if that's what worries you."

"I'm not worried about that."

"Yet you won't answer my question."

She sighed. "Fine. My cursory glance confirms that you're right, you aren't much for taverns."

"Oh, and what, exactly, makes you say that?" They entered the castle and continued towards their rooms.

"First, your clothes aren't stained, and with all the clinking of beer mugs and general drunkenness, that's unusual. Second, your clothes haven't been loosened, as I might expect that girl who was sitting on your lap for half a night to do. Third, your posture is perfect, head up, back straight, hands clasped behind you. Finally, your diction is perfect. You are stone cold sober, despite having spent the night in a bar."

Loki smiled. "You're very observant."

"I was trained to be."

"It's a simple trick to turn beer into water," he explained. "It seems we both have a dislike of being drunk."

"I don't dislike it," she admitted. "I'm just very choosy about when I will allow it. Plus, your mead is awful!"

Loki chuckled "That it is. Next time, try spiced wine. Much better."

"Thanks."

They passed the guards who watched the entrance to the royal wing and rounded the corner to their rooms.

Suddenly Loki hit her, his left arm connecting with her jaw and sending her into the wall, where she hit her head with more force that was probably healthy.

She quickly got her bearings and turned, ready to fight back but Loki had his hands raised in surrender.

"I'm observant also," he explained. "And that blow would have killed a mortal."

"So what, you go around hitting people to prove your points."

"Only those who lie to me. I will find out your secret." Loki grinned. "Goodnight, Agent Faith Addisen. Do sleep well."

He made to move away and she swung at him, but hit nothing more substantial than a hologram, which faded upon contact.

She trudged along the rest of the hallway to her bedroom, Loki's ghostly laughter ringing in her ear.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Faith only had a slight headache the next day but after ordering some breakfast, she felt normal again. When she was finished, she placed her hand back on the table, as she had seen Ilmr do yesterday, and her plates disappeared. She thought it was worth a try to order some boiling water and milk and sure enough, it appeared moments later.

With a wicked smile, she went to her trunks and withdrew two boxes. The first had a teapot and two mugs, the second housed tea and sugar. She brewed her tea with relish, even although it had been less than a day since she'd had her last cup. She practically devoured tea, in the same way that most people mainlined coffee. She had brought a lot of different kinds with her but right now, she had Twinning's breakfast blend. She sipped the milk before adding it and while not quite like cow's milk, it was nice; a little sweeter than she was used to, and she made a mental note to ask Ilmr what animal it came from.

While the tea brewed, she dressed, in an outfit very similar to yesterday, then browsed the book shelves in her room. She picked a tome on modern Adgardian history and took it to the table with her and read it as she sipped her tea.

She was on chapter three when three when Ilmr arrived, looking in quite a state. Clearly the poor girl was hung over.

"My Lady, I'm so sorry I'm late. I overslept."

Faith smiled. "Its fine," she assured the girl. "Like I said yesterday, I can take care of myself."

"You must be starving, we missed dinner last night."

"It's fine," Faith assured her, "I've eaten."

"You didn't call the head maid, did you?" She looked utterly terrified and after her conversation with Loki last night, Faith had a worrying thought.

"Ilmr, your job here, it's voluntary, right?"

"I don't understand."

"No one 'owns' you, you aren't a slave, you won't get beaten for not doing your job, right?"

Ilmr laughed. "This is Asgard, the shining city, the golden realm, we don't have slavery."

"Indentured servitude?"

"Nope."

Faith relaxed.

"What would make you think such a thing?" Ilmr asked.

"I was talking to Loki last night, and he said something about not allowing his servant to be seen…" how did she phrase this without causing offence. "Well, that he wouldn't allow him to party in public. Then you seemed so frightened this morning, I wondered if you were something other than a servant. I apologise if I offended you."

Ilmr smiled. "I work here of my own free will and I'm worried because, well, you're my first charge, all on my own, and if you were upset with me, that would impede my progress through the ranks and could even get me fired. Being a servant in the Palace is a very respectable job but being a servant to the House of Odin, well, that's practically on a par with being lower nobility. I'd hate to lose this job."

"Well you can rest easy, I didn't tell anyone you were late, nor do I plan to. I ordered my own breakfast, just like you showed me."

"But…" her words trailed off and a frown marred her youthful features. "You need at least a little magic to order meals by yourself."

Faith placed her hand on the dining room table, asking for the pot of boiling water and milk to be taken and replaced with fresh. The items disappeared and moments later, fresh replaced them.

"But humans can't do magic!" Ilmr cried, almost as if she were offended. "That's what they told me!"

"I'm not your average human," Faith said with a wink. "Now, come and try some tea, it'll help your hangover."

She rinsed the old leaves out of the teapot in the bathroom and made a fresh brew, Ilmr watching her every move with fascination.

* * *

"What is that?" Loki finally broke the silence of the meeting, curiosity getting the better of him as Faith made herself a cup of something using leaves. It reminded him of how some potions were brewed.

"Earl Grey," she said, not caring to elaborate. She hadn't forgotten his punch last night.

Silence reigned once more, and continued for the rest of their hour long meeting.

The next two weeks of meetings were like that, mostly silent, both of them stubbornly refusing to initiate conversation and the only exchanged they did have were usually very brief. Faith was surprised that Loki kept coming back to be honest, she expected him to throw a hissy fit any time now and refuse to waste an hour of his day sitting in silence, staring at a mortal.

Faith spent part of her days reading up on Asgardian history and in particular, the house of Odin and his children. It seemed that before Thor's banishment, Loki was actually rather respected. He wasn't loved as Thor was, but the books spoke of his bravery in battle and his skills as a master tactician. Of course, references to Thor's bravery, might, skill and everything else outshone Loki's mentions, but Faith could tell that once, Loki had been accepted here.

That might account for how easily they accepted him again, even after his deception in posing as Odin and of course, Loki had never tried to harm Asgard, only Earth and Jotunheim. She could find no books more recent than twenty years ago, so she had no clue as to why Thor's banishment and his gaining the throne drove Loki mad. Hell, chances were that even if there was a more recent book, it would not possess these kinds of intimate details. 90% of what she had read was about battles and conflicts, but very little on the personal life of the warriors.

When she was done satisfying her curiosity for the day, she and Ilme would walk in the gardens, or about the town. Sometimes Thor would pay her a visit and they would chat, and a few times she had visited the training areas to see him and the warriors in action but all in all, life here was quickly becoming boring.

Nothing here moved with the frenetic pace that life on Earth did and everyone seemed to have a very laissez-faire attitude to life and it was taking her some time to adjust to. She supposed when you lived for thousands of years, it was easy to be so laid back.

Her visits to the local shops had shown her that mass production didn't exist on Asgard, almost everything was hand crafted and when enquiring about a pair of boots to take home with her, she had been informed that it would be a minimum of six weeks. When she expressed surprise, the cordwainer had explained that the whole process, including the tanning and dying of the leather needed, would be done especially for her order. The boot would them be crafted to the exact measurement that had been taken of her foot and hand sewn, before finally being broken in for her to save on rubbing and blisters which new shoes could cause.

This was true for all levels of Asgardian society, from the royals to the lower classes, the only difference being how expensive the materials used were, and how ornate the finished product was.

Coming from a society that valued instant gratification, it was a hard adjustment for Faith to make but equally, there seemed more time here and people seemed happier. She had sat down with the shoemaker to discuss the design of the boots, have her measurements taken and explain the kind of activities they would be used for and while looking over the sketches to gain inspiration, she had spent two hours there, talking about far more than just shoes, and she had left feeling as if she had made a new friend.

She found herself quickly warming up to their attitudes and way of life but of course, SHIELD did not share their relaxed attitude to life and wanted results. Clearly she wasn't going to 'crack' Loki by remaining silent so she needed to try a new tactic. Making sure he wasn't planning anything was, after all, her reason for being here.

* * *

Loki was tired. He had been up reading half the night and wanted nothing more than to continue. He was seriously tempted to tell Odin where to shove these daily sessions with the mortal, but he didn't. There was actually something strangely calming about just being quiet for an hour. He was beginning to relax in Faith's presence and sometimes, let his mind drift off while he was with her. That was one of the reasons for his reading marathon, he had remembered something during yesterday's session that could aid his quest and although he was eager to carry on and somewhat short tempered, after such little and uncomfortable sleep, hunched over a desk, he felt as if he needed some quiet time today.

So it came as a massive surprise when he found himself talking to her.

"Want some tea?" she asked as he came in. She always seemed to time the brewing of the infernal substance to his visits. Still, curiosity was getting the better of him and she had never offered him some before.

"Why not."

She handed him a mug as he took his seat. "Earl Grey with a splash of milk. There's sugar if you want to sweeten it."

He tried a small sip. "Hmm, that's not bad," he admitted.

She smiled but didn't reply and they lapsed into their usual silence once more.

"What would you be willing to do for your mother?" he asked her suddenly, unsure why he had suddenly asked her opinion. Maybe it was because he was tired, or perhaps because she had been nice to him and offered to share her beverage, or maybe he just needed someone to talk to.

"I'm the wrong person to ask," she replied.

"You don't get along with your mother?" he asked. He realised he was prying and he thought that she would most likely refuse to answer, so he was stunned when she did.

"I don't have a mother."

"Everyone has a mother."

"Technically," she admitted, then she looked over at him and the pain in her eyes quelled the sharp retort on the tip of his tongue.

He thought that she wouldn't answer when she looked back towards the mug she held, wrapping her hands around it as if for warmth, despite the balmy temperature today.

"I'm an orphan," she explained. "Well, no, my parents might be alive, technically I'm a foundling. I was left in the pews of a church when I was a few months old."

"Do you wonder why?"

"I know why."

He didn't press for more information, worried that she would stop talking if he pushed too hard.

"I'm not normal," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I copy the gifts and abilities of those around me. You asked why I could fight am Asgardian and win? Because while I'm here, I am Asgardian; I have the strength, the stamina, the longevity. Even my hair looks nicer."

He shouldn't interrupt but he had to know.

"Have you copied my magic?"

With a flick of her wrist, a second version of herself appeared before them, although it was ephemeral and flickering, but Faith quickly dismissed it.

"When I copy a power, I gain the ability to control it too. Not as well as the original user without practice but a little."

"How long does it last?"

"That depends on my level of exposure to a gifted person. Usually about twice as long as I'm in their vicinity so if I spend an hour with a fire breather, I can breathe fire for three hours. The thing is, when I was a kid, it wasn't just powers I mimicked. I could change how I looked to resemble someone else. I mean, I hadn't even learned to walk yet so I don't know what that was, but I assume it freaked my parents out. It certainly freaked the nuns at the orphanage out."

Her tone on that last sentence was dark. Almost angry.

"You don't copy looks any longer?"

"No. I don't know why. I don't even know if this is how I'm supposed to look, or of maybe I'm an amalgam of everyone I've ever copied before."

"An amalgam of hair colours wouldn't give you black hair," he pointed out.

"True," she agreed. "But… well, it's hard when you don't know where you come from."

Loki murmured in agreement.

"Anyway, that's why I'm really not the best person to ask about this kind of stuff," she said, shaking those thoughts off.

"Is there anyone in your life who loved you?" he asked. He didn't know why her opinion mattered but now he knew that they had both been unwanted, thrown away, her thoughts seemed to matter even more.

"I grew up in a Catholic orphanage, Loki."

"You weren't adopted or, what do you call it, fostered?"

"No." There was such longing in her voice that he felt himself leaning forward, desperate to know what caused it.

"Why not?"

She glanced at him but only for a second, then she pulled her feet up onto the chair and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees.

"How much do you know of human religions?"

"Not… much."

"Not all of them but a lot, they hate change. In their eyes, anything unusual, different or unique, is evil. They called me evil and," her voice lowered, as if she were impersonating someone but with a heavy dose of sarcasm added. "They couldn't subject a 'normal' family to such evil, it wouldn't be 'immoral'."

Tears were shining in her eyes now and as she blinked, they slowly leaked out.

"They named you," Loki guessed.

She nodded. "They had 'faith' that they could save me, that they could drive the devil out."

Loki took her empty tea cup and refilled it for her, adding two sugars and a splash of milk. He had seen her prepare the beverage many times, so he knew exactly how she took it.

"Why are you telling me this?" Loki asked softly as he handed her the cup. She was usually exceptionally quiet for a mortal who, in his experience, were usually very talkative, while Faith held her tongue more than most.

"Thank you." She offered him a grateful smile and moved so that her legs were curled under her in the chair. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You've been here six weeks and hardly said a dozen words to me, despite these daily meetings. Now you tell me about your powers, your childhood, everything. Why?"

"Talking gets you in trouble," she answered. "That's what the nuns taught me, the more you talk, the more you get noticed and the more you get noticed, the more you get punished, well, they called it 'saving me', but it amounts to the same thing. But I'm not ashamed of my past, they were the ones in the wrong, not me. I have nothing to hide, I just don't usually have a good reason to talk." She sipped her tea.

"Since you're in a talkative mood, how did you come to work for SHIELD?"

"They rescued me." She sighed. "I tried my hardest to keep my gift hidden but its unconscious. If you put me in a room with a Russian, I know how to speak Russian, at least for a while. They kept testing me and some tests I failed. When I turned 18, I tried to leave but they refused. They sent me to a monastery in Switzerland and spent three years trying to exorcise me."

"They thought you were possessed?"

She nodded. "When I struggled and swore at the bastards, they viewed it as a sign the devil was still within me, rather than a young girl being terrified and pissed that she was essentially being tortured. I spent month tied to a bed, lying in my own fifth. They tried to beat the devil out of me, they tried to drown it out of me, but apparently it's baptism when you hold someone's head in _holy_ water. They starved me, they called it fasting, but it's the same thing. Then one day, SHIELD arrived. They had heard rumours of a gifted human and they stormed the place and took me. They accepted me for who I was, trained me, and told me how I could help this world."

"And then they sent you to me," Loki said, his tone only slightly predatory. He had no desire to frighten the girl.

"Yeah," she smiled. "But who better to watch you than someone who can mimic all your gifts and skills?" she asked rhetorically.

"Were you at the battle of New York?"

"No. I was severely underweight when they found me and I had a lot of health issues. Bad health plagued me for a couple of years, at least. I was in hospital with pneumonia when you came."

"Good."

She turned to him. "Good?" she asked incredulously.

"I wouldn't have needed to be close to you to hurt you, so you wouldn't have been protected by your gift." He was surprised to realise that he was glad she hadn't been hurt.

"Maybe," she said with a small smile. "But after a few hours in Bruce's company, I'm pretty much the biggest bad arse going."

"I see your point." Loki chuckled.

"Why do you want to know all this anyway?"

Loki grew serious and debated how much to tell her.

"I've been thinking a lot about my mother recently."

"Anything in particular?"

"I feel guilty," he admitted, which was more than he had planned to say.

"Why?"

"If I'd been free, I could have saved her." He lied.

"I'm sorry, Loki, that must be awful."

Pity. Loki hated pity.

"How would you know? You haven't had a parent to lose." It was a particularly low blow and not his finest moment, but even if he had been the one to uncover it, she had touched a raw nerve and he had lashed out before thinking.

"True," she surprised him by saying. "There's a quote on Earth, 'It's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all'. I always thought it was wrong but thanks to you being a selfish jerk who is wallowing in self-pity, you've proved me right. I'd rather be alone and happy, than feel your grief and turn into a wanker."

He wondered if he should apologise to try and draw the conversation out further, but she got up and walked away before he could.

"Time's up. Same time tomorrow." She said, not bothering to look at him.

"Of course." He got to the door before she called his name and he turned back. She hadn't turned around but she had twisted her head to the side so she could see him.

"If I did have someone like that, someone who really loved me, I think my answer would be 'anything'. I would do anything for them."

"Even kill?" he asked out of curiosity.

"It wouldn't be the first time," she admitted.

Loki nodded his understanding and left the room

* * *

Once Loki was gone, Faith uploaded the conversation, then went into her bathroom and washed her face with cold water, trying to reduce the redness and slight puffiness around her eyes. She left it another half an hour but when she was sure she looked okay again, she logged onto her equipment and hailed Natasha.

"Hey, how did it go?" Natasha greeted.

"Good. I did as you suggested and told him the truth. It cracked his armour slightly but I didn't get anything worthwhile… yet"

"And you're sure he's up to something?"

"I am. I'm not sure it's bad but I can't deny what I'm hearing." Faith had cultivated relations with the servants and guards in the royal wing, and they viewed her as a friend now. She had even eaten in the servants' dining room a few times.

Loki's personal servant had told her that his master had been researching something, always reading and bringing some very obscure texts back from the library and when he didn't have his head buried in a book, he was brooding. Most of the books he as reading were written in dead languages, so he had no idea what Loki was reading about.

Added to that, Loki had often told Thor he was going out or spending time with various women, but his servant revealed those claims to be a lie; he had hardly left his rooms since his release from the dungeon.

"Do you think it's related to Earth?" Natasha asked.

"I have no idea. But I think we built a connection today, albeit a very tenuous one. Hopefully he'll come to trust me more over the next few weeks. Either way, I'll keep digging."

"Good. It could be dangerous?"

"I don't know," Faith said hesitantly.

"You get a different read on him?"

"It's hard to get a read on him at all but there's something about him sometimes. Like a desperation and sadness, but not a world domination desperation."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm not saying he harmless, I'm just saying that I'm not convinced that he's harmful. To be honest, I'm more concerned with Odin right now."

"Odin? How so?" Natasha asked.

"I'm not hearing good reports about him. Since his wife died, he's become much harder, the people say, autocratic and refusing to listen to anyone. I mean, I know there's a tendency for all absolute rulers to be dictators, but Odin used to listen to his wife and council before making a decision."

"Can't the council over rule him? I thought you said they were the reason Loki was released."

"Technically, yes, but only if they all vote the same way, and with 50 councillors, it's hard to get a unanimous decision."

"So what's Odin he been doing?"

"The servants told me he recently broke a trade agreement with the Light Elves of Alfheim, which could seriously harm the Elves economy, and there's talk of a war brewing with Nifleheim, because Odin refuses to send help for a civil uprising. It would result in a new Civil War and if the wrong side wins, I'm told they won't hesitate to declare war on other planets. No one understands why Odin won't help while the problem is still small and easily contained."

"Any threats against Earth?"

"Not directly but the way he's acting, we could be in danger. Once they've overthrown their own government, what if the Trolls of Nifleheim attack Earth."

"Hmm," Natasha was beginning to see why Faith might be concerned.

"I'll tell Fury. Keep your ears open for anything on Loki… or Odin."

"I will. Any more tips of getting Loki to open up?"

"Just what I told you before, don't lie and don't bluster, he'll know. He still won't open up to you but while trying to press your buttons, he might let something slip."

"Okay, thanks for the help, Nat."

"My pleasure."

Loki hadn't seemed like he was trying to manipulate her earlier. Yes, he had snapped and he had said hurtful things, but that seemed more like a defence mechanism than a ploy.

Why had he asked what she would do for her mother?

* * *

A few days later Ilmr entered Faith's chambers with a rail of gowns.

"What are those for?" Faith asked with an amused smile.

"For the celebration this evening."

"Celebration?"

"Thor and Loki have been going to Alfheim to try and sooth the troubles waters. The Light Elves have been having problems with Surtur's followers raising their villages. The Princes, Warriors Three and Lady Sif have gone to Muspelheim to put an end to the conflict and tonight we celebrate their victory with a banquet."

"But you don't know if they've won yet?" she said with some confusion.

"Oh," Ilmr said with a grin. "They will win. They defeated Thanos, after all."

Faith couldn't argue with that but it didn't feel right to her.

"You don't think they'll win?" Ilmr asked.

"No, it's not that…" She wondered how to word it. "We have a saying on Earth, 'don't count your chickens until they have hatched'-"

"Why not?"

"Because until the chicks have hatched, you don't know how many will have been fertilised, or how many might have died. Anyway, the point is, overconfidence is often viewed as bad luck my Midgardians, as if we're jinxing ourselves."

"What's jinxing?"

"Bringing bad luck on yourself or someone else. We hope for the best but prepare for the worst."

"Isn't that disloyal?"

"No," Faith laughed. "We don't hoping for failure, we just like to plan for all eventualities. Overconfidence, or cockiness as we call it, can lead to oversight and defeat."

"Well, on Asgard, we aren't like that."

"I'm starting to see that."

"But you will be coming to the celebration, won't you?"

"I'm not sure I'd be welcome," Faith admitted.

"Everyone is welcome. Even the servants who aren't working attend. A victory for Asgard is a victory for all of us."

"Will Odin be there?"

"No, he might show his face but he thinks people will be inhibited by his presence, and he wants everyone, especially the warriors, to enjoy their celebration."

"Fine, I'll be there, but I'm not wearing a dress."

"As you wish. Prince Loki also asked me to tell you that for obvious reasons, he won't be able to meet you today. He hopes you won't mind too much."

She did mind. Although Loki hadn't revealed anything more during their meetings, he had asked a lot about her gift and had told her a lot about the kind of person his mother was. Faith was slightly ashamed to find herself looking forward to their sessions; he was a twat at times but he could also be funny and charming when he wanted to be. Although she did wonder sometimes, who was manipulating who? SHIELD had taught her interrogation skills and Natasha had helped her with Loki specific tips, but honestly, she was no match for Loki's skills.

She just hopped that her recordings were of some use to SHIELD and that maybe, they could spot something that she had missed.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Ilmr found Faith an outfit of leather jeans, a rich purple tunic top and a long sleeveless coat, with a pinched waste and such a long and full skirt, that it could pass as a dress. Faith accepted it as a reasonable compromise.

The celebration was an informal affair and reminded her rather of the few taverns she had visited, the only difference being that tonight there was music and dancing.

She walked into the banquet hall with Ilmr, but the girl waved to her friends and soon disappeared. Faith kept to the edges and walked a lap of the banquet hall to see what was happening.

Rows of tables and benches lined the sides of the rooms and a perpendicular tables at the end of the hall, either side of the doors, housed the food and drink, enough to feed a large army. Volstagg was piling his plate high with delicacies and he nodded to her as she passed. Faith smiled in reply.

At the opposite end of the hall from the food, were musicians, playing the type of merry tunes that Faith didn't recognise, but that she could have easily picked up if she were so inclined.

In the middle were the dancers, who were hopping around in an energetic display of some sort of cross between sequence dancing, and an Irish Jig on crack. There was little finesse to the dancers but much enthusiasm.

Over in one corner, were the warriors two (minus Volstagg who was still raiding the buffet table), the Lady Sif, Thor and Loki, who were regaling a raptured audience with tales of the battle, and the defeat of the plundering fire demons.

Faith paused and watched them from a distance for a few moments. Fandral and Thor did most of the talking, except when lady Sif interrupted to correct them (or tell the truth). Hogun mostly stayed silently but with a very slight smile on his lips, clearly pleased with their performance today. Loki joined in occasionally, usually when prompted to do so by Thor but while he smiled, he seemed unwilling. Although it sounded as if he had fought valiantly today, his heart didn't appear to be in the celebration.

"Penny for them."

Faith jumped and turned to the man who had just spoken into her ear. She looked between him and Loki for a moment, until she remembered that he could project other versions of himself.

"I was just thinking that you don't seem to be enjoying yourself," she answered truthfully.

His eyebrows rose a little, surprised but pleased by her observation.

"And what makes you say that?"

He was standing so close to her that she could practically feel Loki pressed into her back, and she enjoyed his proximity more than she should.

She turned back to the other Loki, seated over by Thor.

"Your smile doesn't reach your eyes and when no one's looking at you, you appear slightly pensive. You're sipping at your goblet but hardly ever topping it up, and you never interrupt to correct anyone, you wait for someone to invite you to talk which, forgive the insult, isn't how someone with an ego like yours usually behaves."

"Oh? How should I behave?"

"However you want, I'm merely saying that if you wanted to be here, you would be louder and more boastful. Plus, and I'd take this as a compliment if I were you, you're too refined for a gathering like this."

"What event would you suggest was more to my liking?"

"You're more of a dinner party person I would think. Black tie balls and cocktail parties, the theatre, the ballet and the opera. This," she gestured to the dancers and musicians, "is too uncouth for someone like you… In my opinion… For what it's worth."

"You are surprisingly accurate in your assessment, although I'm unsure exactly what a dinner party is."

"Then why not leave?" she asked. "You are a prince, you don't have to be here."

"I will leave, once everyone is too intoxicated to notice my absence."

"It's always been like this, hasn't it?" she asked, a touch of melancholy in her voice. "You never really felt like you belonged to this loud and boisterous culture."

"I suppose that's true, to an extent. The balls mother used to give were far more my thing, and she had a real appreciation for the Arts."

She could feel Loki staring at her and she turned her head to see him.

"From the sadness in your tone, you felt much the same," he ventured.

Tears stung her eyes and she looked away before they could fall. "I wanted to be like the other kids, to play their games and be accepted, but I never was. Being my friend meant getting punished more frequently, but being my bully was a popular pastime." She was silent for a few moments but she could still feel Loki's gaze on her. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if they had accepted me. Would I have enjoyed the company, or was I always destined to be a loner and to prefer my own company?"

"The 'what ifs'," Loki sympathised. "They're a killer."

Faith nodded.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Loki asked.

"I wouldn't mind but people aren't drunk enough yet, they'll notice your absence."

She turned to see that Loki had a devilish glint in his eyes, it was the first genuine smile she'd seen from him all day.

"Not only will they notice, they'll applaud it," he said, suddenly swinging her up into his arms, bridal style. "Play along," he said softly.

His avatar over by Thor disappeared and Loki strode over to them, a huge grin on his face.

"Excuse me leaving early brother, but I have some rather… pressing matters to engage in."

"Not at all, Brother." Thor looked to her, his expression questioning and while she was blushing beet-red, she nodded that this was okay with her.

Fandral raised his tankard, spilling some of the contents over a girl who was draped over his lap, not that she seemed to mind. "To Loki!" he cheered. The group gathered around them repeated his toast and Loki walked out with Faith.

"I think you can put me down now," Faith said once they had traversed a few corridors.

"Nonsense, what if we encounter a guard, the ruse would be up."

For once, his happiness didn't seem to be forced and she thought that she was seeing a glimpse of the old Loki, the mischievous boy who didn't think he was a monster.

As he used magic to open the doors to her rooms and carried her inside though, she felt a stab of fear. What if that hadn't been an act? What if he wanted more form her than just an excuse to leave?

Finally though, once the doors closed in his wake, he put her down on her feet.

"You wouldn't happen to have any of that Oolong tea left by any chance, would you?"

"Midgardian tea, Loki? Really? Don't you have a reputation too uphold?" She was surprised to realise she was teasing him.

"it appears that you have found my weakness," he played along.

"Don't worry, I've got some. Luckily I don't drink it often, but that also means I didn't bring much so you'll have to pop back to earth and do some shopping," she said with a smile, picturing him wandering around Waitrose with a shopping trolley and sceptre.

"Something funny?" he asked.

"Just the idea of you grocery shopping."

He conceded her point with a shrug and they settled by her fireplace with their respective cups of tea.

"So, how was the battle?" she asked.

Loki gave her an odd look.

"I'm being serious," she assured him, "and for the record, I'm not recording this."

"It was bloody, brutal, and electrifying," he said, a slight smile creeping onto his lips on the last word.

"You enjoy it?"

"I can't deny the thrill; it's the ultimate battle of wits and the cost of losing is death but having said that, there are many more pleasurable activities."

"Such as?"

He gave her a salacious look and she blushed. "Really? Sex is all Asgardian men think about? I swear I get propositioned at least twice a day."

"I can't say that I blame them for trying," Loki laughed. "But to answer your question, no it's not _all_ we think about, but I do prefer it to fighting. Then again, I prefer chess to fighting; whilst the stakes aren't as high, it's the ultimate battle of mental acuity."

"Eh," she shrugged. "I prefer poker."

Loki frowned. "Stoking a fire?"

"No," she laughed. "Poker is a card game. Different cards have different values and the person with the highest hand wins the pot. The catch is, while placing your bets, no one knows how good or bad anyone else's hand is until all betting is finished, meaning that you can have an awful hand but if you bluff well enough, you can still win the pot. If you're really good, there are professional tournaments where you can win thousands, even millions."

"Hmm," Loki smiled as he considered her words. "I think I would enjoy this poker. Can you teach me?"

"I could, but I didn't bring any cards with me."

"Some other time, then."

"So is that the only kind of dancing you have on Asgard?" she asked.

"No, but all our dances are… brash," he said with distaste. "I'm surprised you didn't want to dance however, most women seem to love it."

"Oh, I love dancing, but not like that."

"What kind of dancing do you enjoy?"

"Ballroom," she said without hesitation. "I know it's old fashioned but there's something about it that's classic and timeless."

"Do mortals use it to court?"

"You mean, date?"

He nodded.

"No, not any more. My school taught us to dance because they thought it a fitting activity for young ladies and that it would help with deportment."

"And which was your favourite dance?"

"The waltz. They never taught us the tango though. I've always wanted to learn that, especially the Argentine Tango."

"I'm unfamiliar with that particular dance."

"Trust me," she smiled and couldn't keep a slight blush from her cheeks. "Its right up your alley."

"Up my alley?" he frowned. "Is that not a Midgardian reference to anal sex?"

Faith burs tout laughing and it took her a moment to calm herself. "No, that's 'back alley'. 'Up your alley' just means it's something I think you'd enjoy."

"I will see if the library has any information on it," he assured her.

She had laughed mainly out of embarrassment but she worried that he might be offended. However he seemed fine.

Loki had finished his tea and placed the cup down. "How about a proper nightcap?" he asked.

"What did you have in mind?" she sounded wary.

"Something called Poram, it's made from a fruit found on Alfheim."

"Okay."

With a wave of his hand, her cup vanished from her hand, moved to her dining table and in its place was a golden goblet, half filled with a red substance.

Faith sniffed it cautiously but it smelled nice enough.

"It's not poisoned," Loki assured her, sounding amused. He raised his own goblet in a silent toast then sipped it. Faith followed suit.

"Oh wow, that's lovely," she said, and it was; the perfect blend of sweet fruits and just a hint of sharpness, that warmed her throat as it went down. It was unlike anything she had tasted before.

Loki seemed pleased by her assessment.

"If I ask you something, will you answer honestly?" Faith suddenly said. "Off the record."

"You lie to me yet expect honesty in return?" he answered with a smile. "You know as well as I do that if I say something of import, you will tell your superiors."

"I give you my word, I won't. This is to satisfy my own curiosity."

"I make no promises but you may ask."

Faith took another sip of her drink then stared into the depths of the liquid as she spoke. "Thor seems to think you've turned over a new leaf, and your council evidently believe it too."

"That's not a question."

"No." she looked over to him. "My question is, are they right?"

Loki gave her a sad smile. "I am as self-serving as I have always been."

"But you could have done anything while posing as Odin and instead of subjugating the universe, you chose to fight Thanos. You know, Fury still doesn't believe it was you posing as Odin, he's sure you must have posed as him after the battle."

"The fact that the battle occurred on Midgard was not my doing; after my invasion, it seems Thanos thought it best to wipe put humanity before they could become a real threat. I fought Thanos because had a price on my head. I knew I could never truly be free while he was out there, and I knew that the only way I could beat him was with the power of Odin, namely his allies and his sceptre, Gungnir."

"You impressed the council enough for them to free you though."

"A happy accident, or more proof that my actions were entirely self-serving."

"So now that you're free, what happens? World domination?"

Loki's smile faded. "No. What I have to do now is far more important."

"What's that?"

Loki suddenly seemed to snap out of his, reverie.

"That, is none of your concern," he snapped. "But you needn't worry, I have no plans for your insignificant Earth."

"Wow, reassuring and insulting at the same time."

"It's a gift." Loki's playful smile returned. "And now I think we should call it a night. Thank you for the tea."

Without further ado, he got up and left, leaving Faith to ponder his words.

* * *

Faith returned to her rooms after having dinner in the servants dining hall. Ordinarily that would be a huge breech in protocol, not to mention, a huge invasion of the servants privacy (they needed some time off, after all, away from the watch of their employers). However, with Faith being human and having won Ilmr's trust for not reporting her when she arrived late and hung-over, the servants welcomed her. Hell, they were Asgardians, immortal and immensely strong, so they probably viewed her as inferior to them, even if she was a guest of the royal family.

She was learning a lot from them, about the princes when they were younger, what they knew of Loki's birth and, as they call the incident on Asgard, his fall from grace.

Faith was beginning to feel rather sympathetic towards Loki, at least to a degree. Abandoned and left to die, then taken in by Odin to be used as a bargaining chip. His rage stemmed, they said, from temporary madness. Oh, they had judged him harshly at one time, they assured her but having seen Loki rule as King for a second time, even if it was while posing as Odin, showed them that he could rule, and rule well.

His first reign on Asgard had only lasted three days, after all, so it was unfair to hold that against him. And he was only attempting to stop the war that his brother had almost caused. The pain of discovering his true origins, combined with the pressure of assuming a mantle he hadn't been properly prepared for, and for a kingdom on the brink of war, would drive anyone insane, they told her. Who wouldn't go mad in the same circumstances, they asked.

But he hadn't tried to kill Odin. Even in all the pain and anger he must have felt, he still cared for Odin on some level. His plan had been to wipe out the Frost Giants while rescuing his father, thereby proving himself worthy.

That didn't excuse his actions on Earth but after hearing this over and over, Faith could forgive his crimes on Asgard. It helped that she quickly learned to view the Frost Giants as monsters too, because no one minded the mass murder of bad people very much. The same could be seen on Earth; in recent years, the Muslims were the evil monsters, and most of the population was happy to turn a blind eye to any atrocities committed against them.

Of course, some Muslims were bad and needed to be stopped, every basket has a few bad apples after all, but it was the tendency to tar an entire race as bad or unworthy which was the troubling trait. Were the Frost giants just misunderstood? Or were they the intergalactic equivalent of the Nazis, conquering and killing with impunity? Of course even then, not all Nazis were bad people, some had saved lives rather than taking them. Oskar Schindler was perhaps the best known example.

The fact was, Faith simply didn't know enough of the Frost Giants to judge them, although she couldn't deny that she was picking up on the latent apathy towards them around here and that it was colouring her own views.

She was pulled from her thoughts as she spotted movement ahead.

It was pure luck that she saw him. She usually stayed in the dining hall until around 10PM but tonight she had stayed longer and it was almost midnight. The palace was mostly silent, with everyone but the servants having retired to their chambers for the evening.

Rounding the corner to the corridor with her room, she saw a flash of black leaving the hallway from the opposite end. Interest piqued, she quietly jogged to the other end of the hallway, just in time to see the figure, who she could now see was Loki, disappearing down one of the servants' staircases.

She followed, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. He exited the castle and made his way to the stables, where he greeted a large black horse.

Although Loki was talking to the horse, Faith couldn't hear him and slowly crept closer.

"…so you'll enjoy that, at least. I can't promise you we'll be successful but if we are, it will be worth it; Asgard will have the ruler it deserves again."

Faith's thoughts began to spin wildly. Successful? Worth it? Was he planning another coup?

Her heart plummeted into her shoes and she berated herself for defending him to SHIELD.

It was her own fault, of course, he had assured her that he was still as selfish as he ever was but she hadn't wanted to believe it. He had even spoken of having something, some task left to do but taken in by his charm, she hadn't wanted to believe it.

He couldn't possibly get away with posing as Odin again, that trick wouldn't work twice, so he must be planning to kill the Allfather.

Faith had to stop him.

Loki led the horse from the stall and while she was momentarily nonplussed to realise it had eight legs, she followed as he led the horse away. The beast was surprisingly quiet over the cobbled streets, especially since he had eight hooves to make a racket with.

Keeping to the shadows, she was able to keep up since Loki was only walking, and she followed them to the edge of the town and into the forest. She was surprised that Loki didn't mount the horse, nor had he bothered to saddle it or put a head-collar on, yet the horse walked beside him without question.

After walking for perhaps two hours, they stopped in a small clearing and Faith crept further through the trees, drawing level in an attempt to see what he was up to.

Loki was turning in a circle, his arms slightly outstretched as he gazed up into the treetops. A slow smile crept onto his lips.

"Yes, this is the place," she heard him say. "I can feel it."

With a wave of his hand, the black horse was saddled, including saddlebags and with another wave of his hands, he held a glowing blue box. Faith watched as he began chanting softly and the box glowed brighter but even more fascinating, was the fact that his skin was turning blue. As the hue crept up to his face, his eyes turned red and she realised that this was his Frost Giant form.

She was so captivated by his appearance that she almost failed to notice the glowing oval that appeared before him, growing larger as Loki continued chanting.

His expression was pained and she thought she could detect sweat on his brow from exertion. Could Frost Giants perspire?

The glowing and swirling light was now easily ten feet or more across but oddly, it was two dimensional rather than being spherical.

Finally Loki stopped what he was doing and with another wave, the blue box disappeared.

"Come, Sleipnir, before the portal closes."

Loki and the horse walked into the light and vanished. Momentarily nonplussed, Faith was frozen in place, until she noticed the oval shrinking. On impulse, she ran for the shrinking portal and dived through, landing with a rather inelegant role.

The horse brayed and reared up on his hind legs, upset by her sudden appearance and she spotted Loki lying on the ground nearby. She rushed over to him and saw that he appeared to be passed out. She turned him over and tapped his cheek.

"Loki? Loki, wake up!"

He didn't move.

The horse approached them and Faith took in her surroundings for the first time, wondering what to do with the unconscious prince.

They had landed on black sand, the type you might see on a volcanic beach, but the sand went on for as far as she could see. The entire landscape appeared to be barren, with no life growing at all. The sky was grey and foreboding, like a huge storm was brewing and although it appeared to be daytime here, very little light made it through the clouds. The landscape was so bleak that she might almost believe she was seeing in black and white, were it not for the green on Loki's armour, and the purple of her own tunic, although even those colours seemed muted.

There was no shelter to be had, except possibly for the mountains in the distance, but they looked to be a few days walk away.

With little else to do, she checked the saddlebags on the horse, but he walked backwards as she approached, neighing in warning.

"It's okay," she said soothingly. "I just want to see if there's any water in the saddlebags for Loki. I won't hurt you, I promise."

' _You may look_ ,'

Faith paused. "Did you just…?" she dismissed the thought, she must have imagined it.

The horse stood still and allowed her to look. Unfortunately, all that she could find was a crystal orb in one bag and a brass, lidded punnet of berries in the other. As she sighed, the horse turned to look at her.

"I guess he likes to pack light," she told the horse, who seemed to nod in understanding.

A groan caught both their attention and she ran over to Loki.

"Hey, you're okay, I've got you," she said as she fell to her knees beside him.

Slowly he opened his eyes and after a few moments, sat up.

"Oh, good, you're here."

Faith's jaw dropped. "You mean…"

"Did you really think I didn't know you were following me? Considering you work for a spying organisation and have supposedly copied my magic, you are incredibly inept."

"You meant for me to follow you!"

"Of course." He slowly got to his feet.

"Why?!" Faith demanded as Loki approached the horse.

"Because I'll need your help to open a portal for the return journey."

"Why can't you use that blue box?"

"It's called the Casket of Ancient Winters, and even if I could risk bringing it here, it can't return us from where we need to go. This landing point is along a weak spot to this realm, but it's the only weakness. Without Odin's sceptre I thought that I would never be able to create a return path, but then you arrived with the handy ability to copy magic."

"Send me back!"

"I can't."

"But you just said-"

"I said I needed you to open a return portal, but I didn't say I _only_ needed you." He glared at her. "It will take three powerful sorcerers and the permission of this kingdom's ruler to open a portal. Now please stop shouting, I have an awful headache coming on."

The horse nuzzled his shoulder.

"I'm fine," Loki reached up and stroked his silky muzzle. "Introductions," he said. "Sleipnir, this is Faith. Faith, meet Sleipnir."

' _Pleased to make your acquaintance, my lady_.' The horse lowered its head.

"You have a telepathic horse?" Faith asked.

"No, but he's my son, so I understand him. You have my powers, so you understand him too."

"So the rumours are true? You did give birth to a horse?" She wasn't sure whether to be thrilled or appalled.

"What can I say," he chuckled, "His father was an exceptionally handsome beast."

"Whoa!" Faith held her hand up. "I was raised Roman Catholic, remember? I've just barely stopped thinking of homosexuality as a sin, bestiality is more than I can handle right now."

"Don't forget changing genders," Loki added, enjoying her discomfort and confusion.

"Not helping!"

Loki mounted the horse. "Well regardless of your foibles, we need to make it to those mountains by nightfall, so climb on."

"Why?"

"Because there are a lot of dangerous creature here and they mainly come out at night. We need to find a cave that I can more easily defend. And speaking of danger."

With a click of his fingers, she found herself wearing something similar to Loki and the other warriors of Asgard. She stretched her arms and legs a few times and was pleased to realise her armour seemed to cover the leather leggings and tunic she had been wearing, so she felt comfortable.

"It's lighter than I thought."

Loki didn't reply, he just held a hand out towards her so he could pull her up behind him.

Faith didn't move. "I don't think so, I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"If you don't, not only will you never leave this place, you likely won't survive the night."

She took a moment to silently debate her choices but in all honesty, she wasn't stupid so it wasn't a hard decision to make. It was overcoming her wounded pride that took the time.

"What kind of creatures?" she asked as she settled and tried to make herself comfortable.

Sleipnir tossed his head. ' _She asks a lot of questions_.'

"She's mortal, Sleipnir, she doesn't know any better- well, she human at least, the mortal bit is in question while she's around the Aesir."

The horse whinnied.

"To answer your question, we're in Hel, my dear, the realm of the dead."

"You mean, like actual _hell_ , hell?"

"Not as in good or evil, heaven and hell, but yes, the afterlife."

"So am I dead?"

"No, which is why we will be preyed upon."

"But I thought Norse Gods went to Valhalla?"

"Only warriors, and only the chosen few. Everyone else, good or evil, ends up here."

"And why are we here?"

"You need to watch out for anything that moves," Loki said, avoiding her question. "There are many creatures that dwell here, serpents, hellhounds, wraiths, demons and dragons to name but a few. Some will feed off your flesh and others your emotions or life force. Neither is pleasant."

Faith groaned. "Fury's gonna kill me."

* * *

Sleipnir moved surprisingly quickly and despite her doubts, they made it to the mountains by dark. Unfortunately, twilight made her see movement everywhere, and she was certain that only some of the things she saw moving were her imagination in overdrive. And she was absolutely certain that, although she couldn't see it, the thing flying overhead and casting shadows over them occasionally, was very real.

The light had totally faded so Loki created a ball of magical light which floated ahead of them and lit the path, and the eerie green glow it cast made the landscape seem even more foreboding.

They paused by a cave entrance and Loki sent one of his avatars into the cave.

"We'll camp here," he declared after a few moments. The cave wasn't very high so they dismounted and lead Sleipnir into the cave, then Loki erected some kind of force field around the entrance.

"That will keep us safe for the night," he said.

"You're sure?"

"Are you going to question everything I do on this journey?"

"Probably."

He heaved a sigh and with a wave of his hand, Sleipnir's saddle and bridle disappeared, and a pile of hay appeared.

"Are you hungry?" Loki asked her.

"Starving."

"Good. So, what's for dinner?"

"I… What?"

"If you've copied my magic, you should be able to conjure us something to eat."

"Why can't you do it?"

"Because if you ever want to get out of here, you will need to have mastered my magic."

"Okay. Can you give me a hint or something?"

"Picture what you desire and will it into existence."

"Just like that?" She sounded sceptical.

"Just like that," he confirmed.

Faith closed her eyes and thought about her go-to comfort food, bangers and mash. She tried to will it into existence and felt the energy course through her. When she opened her eyes, two plates of it sat on the ground before her.

"Very good." Loki sounded impressed. "I'm not sure what it was supposed to be but for a first attempt, it's more than decent."

"This is what it's supposed to be," she answered. "Pork and cider sausages, on mashed potato with gravy."

"Oh."

Realising that it was quite a hard dish to eat without cutlery and off the floor, she closed her eyes again and pictured a table, chairs, knives and forks. She grinned when she opened her eyes to see that they had appeared.

"You've been practising," Loki said, taking a seat at the table she had conjured.

"No," she assured him. "When I copy a gift, I seem to get a little of the skill that it took to learn it, so I don't have to start from scratch."

"Well, that is good news. I thought I was going to have to spend the next nine days teaching you from scratch." He picked up his fork and poked at the dish before him, sniffing warily.

"It's not poisoned," she assured him, throwing his words from the night of celebration back at him.

"I believe you, I'm just not sure it's edible."

"Very funny." She was too hungry to wait and got tucked in, conjuring two goblets of water when she realised refreshments were missing.

Loki raised an eyebrow at her skill. "It's not often I'm impressed," he told her.

"This gift in innate, therefore not impressive."

"I beg to differ."

"Being impressed by this is like being impressed by my having brown eyes; I can't help having this gift and I didn't do anything to earn it."

"But if those brown eyes were exceptionally pretty, would I then be allowed to compliment them?" He asked, as though was talking to a child.

Faith tilted her head to the side. "So I don't take compliments well. Sue me."

Loki finally tried his meal and didn't spit it out, which was a good sign. He also didn't praise it, but he did finish the plate.

"So," Faith said once they were finished. "Do you want to tell me why you kidnapped me?"

"I didn't, you came of your own free will."

"Being manipulated into following you is not the same as free will." She argued. "Are you going to tell me how coming here helps you take over Asgard?" she asked.

"What makes you think I have any plans for Asgard?" He seemed amused.

"I heard you speaking to your horse-"

The horse neighed loudly. ' _I have a name_!'

"Sorry, Sleipnir." She turned her attention back to Loki. "You said Asgard was going to get the leader it deserved."

"And so it shall, but I did not mean for that to be me."

"I don't believe you."

Loki chuckled. "I don't care if you believe me or not."

"I will find a way to stop you, you know."

"Oh, I very much doubt that."

Faith wanted to wipe the smug smile off his face. Romanoff should have taken this mission, she was the only Agent to have ever successfully held her own with Loki and played the player, so to speak. Faith was a very good interrogator but she was no Black Widow.

' _He's come for Frigga_ ,' the horse whinnied.

"Sleipnir!" Loki yelled, jumping to his feet, but the horse just glared back at him.

"Is that true?" Faith asked. The anger in Loki's expression worried her and she stood up, ready for trouble. It took a few tries, but she finally managed to make the table and chairs disappear; she didn't need to be tripping over them if a fight erupted.

Loki and Sleipnir stood facing each other, engaged in some kind of staring contest.

' _Tell her or I will_.'

"You forget your place, nag."

' _I forget nothing. I love you, father, but you are a fool. She is risking her life here and she deserves to know why. Unlike me, you didn't give her a choice_.'

Loki turned away with a hiss of protest and Sleipnir walked a few paces over to her, gently nuzzling her shoulder.

Faith smiled and reached up to stroke his muzzle, hoping he would see her gratitude since she didn't feel comfortable speaking at the moment.

"Do you know how Frigga died?" Loki asked, his back to them both and his voice and posture were tense.

"I know that she died protecting Jane Foster from a raid by the Dark Elves."

"The dark elves have something called Kursed Stones, which transform the user into a… super soldier, you might call it, rather like your Captain America. Disguised as a marauders, an elf got himself arrested and imprisoned, then he activated the stone and became Kursed. He broke out of his cell and set the other prisoners free."

His shoulders slumped and Loki lowered himself to the ground, his back was to the cave wall so he faced them but he kept his gaze lowered.

"I knew nothing of the Aether or Elves, but I sensed an opportunity to upset Odin, so I told the Kursed the fastest way to get into the palace from the dungeon, where the Kursed killed Frigga." He finally looked up at her and she could see that his eyes were shining with tears. "She died because of me and because I was so angry, she also died believing that I didn't love her."

Faith didn't know what to say but a gentle nudge but from Sleipnir propelled her forward and she sat down beside him.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. Despite all his scheming and manipulating, she could see that the pain that he felt was genuine, even if she didn't think he was to blame. She reached out and took his hand, slightly surprised when he let her.

"When I said I would give Asgard the leader it deserved, I mean giving Odin back his compassion. My mother balanced the harsher aspects of my father's personality, she gave him empathy, understanding and mercy. Without her, he is little more than a despotic autocrat and Asgard, all the nine realms really, is suffering for it."

"Can you really do that though? Bring someone back from the dead?"

"It's not easy but it is possible."

"Why don't more people do it then?"

"As I say, it is not easy. First we must travel for nine days to reach the kingdom of Helheim. The creatures I spoke of will do their best to stop us, not out of duty, but because existence is nearly impossible in this dead realm, so the living are a veritable fest for a starving man. Then there is the giantess, Modguor, who guards the bridge over the river Gjoll. If she does not deem our purpose to be a just one, she will kill us, or try to. Once we make it to kingdom, we will have to pass the hellhounds who guard the gate, the fiercest of which is Garmr, who is it said will help bring about the apocalypse. Should we survive all that, we must bargain with the ruler of this realm for the release of Frigga."

Faith sat silently for a few moments as she digested what he had said.

"You know, if you wanted to die but couldn't bring yourself to commit suicide, I'd have done it for you, if you asked nicely."

Loki's laugh echoed slightly through the small cave and Faith leaned to the side, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I hate that you tricked me into coming," Faith admitted when his mirth died. "But I heard that Odin sentenced a child to have his hand amputated the other day, for the heinous crime of theft, so if you'd told me your plan, I would have come willingly."

"The sentence was barbaric," he agreed. "But the boy in question is appealing to the council."

"But they can only overrule your father if they are unanimous, which is unlikely given how many of them there are."

"True, but it will likely take them two weeks to review the case, then another week for the sentence to be carried out. If we succeed, Frigga will likely have the boy pardoned. And he's not my father."

"Fine, your mother's husband then."

Loki placed an arm around her shoulders and a moment later, something inhuman shrieked nearby, making Faith shudder and look about in horror.

"It will not find us in here," Loki assured her.

After a few moments, she finally believed him and when a second shriek came, quieter than the first, she rested her head back on his shoulder.

"I hate you," she muttered.

"No, you don't." She could hear the mirth in his voice.

"Fine. I wish I could hate you."

"Now that, I believe."


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

After an uncomfortable night sleeping on the cave floor, they ventured out again at first light.

Faith’s back and neck hurt from sleeping on rock but she didn’t complain. She had considered trying to conjure a bed but felt that sleeping too soundly in this alien landscape could be unwise.

The night air had continued to ring with cries, moans, growls and other awful noises, which didn’t help her get a restful night’s sleep.

At the mouth of the cave, Loki conjured Sleipnir’s tack and mounted him.

“We must be careful today,” he said as he offered his hand to pull Faith up behind him. “Keep your eyes open for creatures.”

“I thought you said they were nocturnal?” Faith asked as she settled herself behind him in the saddle.

“They are, mostly, but the daylight here is not strong and unlike the planes we travelled on the first day, we will be travelling through the mountains and valleys from here on, and there is much shade and crevices for creatures to hide in.”

“This just gets better and better,” Faith muttered.

“Where is your sense of adventure?” Loki asked, turning to her with a wry smile.

“I forgot to pack it when I was kidnapped.”

“You were not-”

“Shut up, Loki. Let’s go.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tightly, still feeling unsafe in a saddle.

“As my Lady wishes.” He was far too chipper about this, Faith decided.

With a slight squeeze of his heels, Sleipnir took off at a gentle canter, following the closest thing to a path.

“Are you sure he’ll be all right over these rocks?” Faith asked Loki, worried that Sleipnir might fall and break a leg.

She could have sworn she heard a laugh in his answering neigh. ‘ _You think my extra legs are for decoration_?’

“Sleipnir is the most surefooted horse you will ever find,” Loki assured her. “He will get us through these mountains with speed and without incident. It is the other creatures we must worry about.”

“Eyes open, got it.”

“Good. Now, I want you to practice your magic as we ride.”

“How?”

“Hold your palm out and picture issuing a blast of energy, only don’t aim at any rocks up ahead, or too close to us, we don’t want to destabilise the path.”

“Won’t the ruckus attract these creatures?”

“They know we’re here regardless; if anything, the show of force will make them think twice.”

“Okay.”

“And hold tightly with your free hand,” he advised. “The rules of your physics still apply and for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

“You’re quoting Newton’s Third Law at me?” she sounded surprised.

“Who is Newton.”

“Never mind. Basically you’re saying that there will be a recoil, like with firing a gun?”

“Yes.”

“All right, here goes nothing.”

The energy pulse was actually far easier than conjuring, except that her blasts were about as strong as a summer breeze.

“You’re holding back,” Loki said after a few dozen attempts.

“I’m not, I’m giving it my all.”

“Who trained you to fight?” he asked.

“SHIELD.”

“No, who first trained you, what was his or her name?”

“Agent Mann.”

“And when you fought, did you punch him hard?”

“No, not to begin with.”

“Who were you afraid of hurting, him or yourself?”

“Mann is a ‘her’ actually, but to answer your question, both.”

“But you got over that fear and learned to put your might into the blows, correct? This is the same. Don’t fear the action or the reaction; I will not allow you to be harmed, you’re too important to my plans.”

“Thanks, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside,” she said acerbically. “I thought you were supposed to have a silver tongue.”

It took another three tries but on the third one, she launched a blast big enough to cause a small avalanche on the opposite rock face. Of course, the recoil nearly sent her flying and were it not for Loki’s quick actions, reaching behind him and grabbing her waist, she would have ended up on the floor.

“Good. Now try again and when you unleash the blast, lean into it a little to absorb the recoil.”

She did and kept trying until her arm ached from being held aloft for so long. Then she switched to the other arm, directing her blasts to the sky, since they were walking close to the mountain side and she didn’t want to bring a rock fall down on them.

“Good.” Loki proclaimed after a while. “Now try both hands.”

Since she would have to relinquish her hold on him. He reached both hands behind himself and awkwardly gripped her waist.

She reached her hands up bur before she could, she had a sudden realisation.

“Hey, who’s steering the horse?!”

Loki chuckled and Sleipnir brayed.

‘ _No one steers me, child_.’

“And for the record, it’s called reining,” Loki added.

“Well I don’t know what it’s called, this is only my third time on a horse. And I’m not a child.”

“Sleipnir is 491 years old; and you are?”

Faith pouted. “24.”

Feeling slightly foolish and angry with herself, Faith directed her hands heavenward and directed a pulse of energy large enough to stir the clouds.

“Very impressive,” Loki praised. “It took me weeks to master that.” He conjured a canteen of water and handed it back to her.

Faith drank greedily, not having realised how thirsty she was.

“I’m hungry,” she complained.

“And evidently, stupid.”

“Hey!” she shoved his shoulder.

“You were hungry last night also, were you not? And how did you get food then?” he spoke as if she were an errant child.

“This magic thing is new to me and I’m tired, okay? Forgive me for my first thought not being, ‘let’s magic up a feast’!”

“You’re forgiven.”

“I was being sarcastic.”

“As was I.”

He turned slightly in the saddle to be able to look at her. “You have less than eight days to become proficient in my abilities, I suggest you stop whining and-”

With a streak of black, she was gone.

“Faith!” he yelled, seeing her tumbling down the mountain side, the huge serpent that had knocked her off slithering quickly after her, trying to keep up.

Loki teleported to the bottom of the ravine, hoping to stop the creature before it killed her but as his vision solidified in his new form, he saw the black snake lying on the ravine floor, its midsection splattered on the surrounding rocks, venom still dripping from its enormous fangs. Faith’s outstretched hands showed that she had blasted it.

Loki was about to smile and possibly even praise her, when an ominous rumble halted his pleasure. He could already hear smaller rocks dethatching themselves from the rock face and a moment later, the pebbles began to rain down on them. The rumbling didn’t cease however and the falling stones became larger with each passing second.

Faith seemed frozen with fear and Loki lunged at her, pressing his body over hers to protect her as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

Seconds later, they were on the ground next to Sleipnir and they both turned to watch as the opposite cliff face crumbled into the ravine.

“That is why you take care before firing an energy blast,” Loki said, breathing heavily from adrenalin and fear.

“Well excuse me, I was rather more interested in stopping the giant snake from eating me.”

Loki tore his gaze away from the avalanche and looked down at her.

“What if you had fired at our side of the ravine?”

Faith didn’t answer, she just sat there, breathing heavily and looking rather upset. Loki’s angerabated slightly.

“I’m sorry.” She closed her eyes.

“At least there is no harm done, and you’re right, you did save yourself. It’s good that magic was your first instinct,” Loki told her, wondering why he was taking the time to make this mortal feel better about her actions. She had been foolish and reckless, and she could have gotten them all killed.

He found himself captivated by a smudge of dirt on her cheek, then his gaze moved to her lips, which appeared rather pink after her adventure, then his gaze rose to her eyes, just as they flickered open.

In this light, her brown eyes looked almost black and he felt captivated by them, almost as if she were hypnotising him. He suddenly realised that she was gorgeous and he wondered why he hadn’t spotted it before.

The spell was broken when Sleipnir nudged their shoulders; they couldn’t afford to dawdle.

“Are you all right?” Loki asked her.

Faith nodded. “A bit banged up, but luckily I’m a lot more durable than I usually am.”

A ghost of a smile graced his lips.

“You?” she asked.

“I’m fine.” He wondered if he should kiss her. He wanted to but he hadn’t brought her here for that, it wasn’t part of his mission here. Then again, he might never get another chance, so what did it matter? This could be his last hurrah.

‘ _I’m fine, if anyone’s interested_ ,’ Sleipnir nudged their shoulders again. ‘ _We should hurry,_ t _here could be more so we must move on_.’

He was right. With some reluctance, Loki disentangled himself from Faith and stood up, offering her his hand to help her, which she accepted. They mounted and continued on their journey but this time, when Faith put her arms around him, she also pressed her chest into his back, the side of her face settling between his shoulder blades, as if she were hugging him.

Loki freed one hand from the reins and placed it over where hers were clasped, on his stomach. Just above his groin, actually. In fact, if she were to move her hand down a little…  

He groaned as he felt his length begin to swell, against his will.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she raised her head off his back.

“Fine.” He answered, as gruffly as he could. Now was not the time for these thoughts, and combining his quest with pleasure would only complicate matters.

The next eight days were going to be hell, literally and figuratively speaking.

* * *

They rest of the day had passed without incident and as soon as darkness fell properly, they had found a cave to camp in for the night.

While Sleipnir chowed down on hay in the corner, Faith conjured them pizza for dinner and although Loki looked hesitant at first, one mouthful was enough for him to overcome his reservations and devour his pepperoni pizza.

“You mortals have some odd foods but I can't deny their appealing flavours.”

“How can you have come to Earth and not tried pizza,” Faith teased. “Next you’ll be telling me you’ve never tried spaghetti bolognese.

“I have not,” he admitted.

“Well, I know what we’re having for dinner tomorrow night.” Faith smiled. “Maybe I can even rustle up a table and some candles, some wine, maybe a little violin music.”

That crossed uncomfortably close to Loki’s earlier thoughts of attraction.

“Tonight we shall practice teleporting,” Loki announced.

“Wow, talk about a non sequitur.” Faith was surprised by his dour reply, his sharp wit was one of the reasons she couldn’t help but find him charming, despite his crimes against her planet.

“A what?”

“A sudden change in conversation that bears no relation to what was being discussed before.”

“I had not heard that term before but given your long winded explanation, I can certainly see why you mortals invented the term.”

“I suppose you high and mighty Asgardians call it ‘off topic’, or something equally pithy.”

“This conversation is pointless, we must practice your magic and mastering teleportation is essential to allowing us to escape.”

“Why?” Faith asked. “What does moving from one place to another have to do with opening a portal?” She also wished she knew why he was in such a bad mood all of a sudden.

“Because teleportation isn’t about moving from one place to another, it’s about folding space around you.”

“Physics is not my strong suit, can you say that in English?”

Loki sighed dramatically. “How do you think I teleport from one site of this cave to the other?” he asked.

“I guess you’d dematerialise, then rematerialize.” She had seen The Fly, after all, but that was about all she knew of teleportation.

“Wrong. Rather than me moving, I fold space.” He held his hands up, side by side, palms facing him/ “So to get from here, to here,” he moved first his right, then his left thumb to indicate where he was travelling from and to, then pressed his hands together, so his thumbs were pressed together. “I simply fold space and bring my destination to me.”

“Okay.” She thought she understood. “What does that have to so with opening portals?”

“Because the basic principle is exactly the same. Space must fold in on itself again and again, until the destination lies beside your present location.”

“So you can teleport us home?”

“No, I could theoretically transport myself anywhere within a realm, although it would be incredibly taxing, but travelling between realms requires far more power than any person possesses.”

“Is that how the bifrost works?”

“No, the bifrost creates…” he seemed to be searching for a word she would understand. “A bridge.”

“Oh,” she grinned. “I know this one. Drs Slevig and Foster wrote a paper for SHIELD and I was given it as part of my mission packet. It’s a… an Einstein-something bridge, right? Like a wormhole?”

“I do not know your science and its terminology but I know those scientists to be very intelligent, so yes.”

“And doesn’t the warp drive on Star Trek bend space?”

Loki’s look asked what the hell she was babbling about.

“Okay, let’s do this.” She felt happier now she understood the basics of some of her magic.

It took her quite some time to learn how to do it, mainly because she was still scarred from watching The Fly and slightly afraid of turning into a bug, or ending up stuck in the cave wall.

Once she overcame her fears though, it was actually simple, and not at all unpleasant (the bifrost had been rather unsettling, a little like a roller-coaster).

When they were finished, Faith was feeling rather tired and they sat together again, backs to the cave wall.

“So why can't we teleport directly to the kingdom?” Faith asked. “Or have used the bifrost to come here.”

“Even if he could, Heimdall would never allow us to travel here.”

“Why not?”

“Because the universe must maintain a balance. Every action has a reaction, and death cannot simply be undone. If it could, chaos would erupt.”

“But we can get Frigga back, right? That’s the whole reason we came here.”

“We can, but we must earn it. We cannot simply teleport into the kingdom because if we do not earn our entrance into Helheim, the ruler will not see us.”

“I thought they called you silver-tongue,” she teased.

Loki chuckled. “Indeed, but these are the rules of the realm. There are barriers that block magic and trying to cross one of those using magic, would result in certain death. There is also only one portal into this realm, which I used the casket to open; the nine day travel and the dangers we face are to prove our worth.”

“But if balance must be maintained, how is this journey even possible? The dead should stay dead, surely.”

“Because sometimes, injustices happen and those can be corrected, if one is brave enough. Restoring my mother to life will restore balance to Odin’s rule, and it is for just such occasions that loop holes exist in the laws of this realm.”

Faith didn’t really understand it but she supposed they didn’t have the same frames of reference. She didn’t understand magic but just like she didn’t understand gravity, she supposed she had to accept it.

“Loki?”

“Mmm?”

“When we get back, will you teach me magic? I mean properly, from the ground up, so I can understand it.”

He didn’t answer and she looked over to him. He looked torn and when he turned to look at her, she could see the pain in his eyes.

“If we make it through this, yes.”

Faith didn’t know what to make of his words. On the surface, he was simply pointing out the danger they were in, and that they might not make it back. Somehow though, she thought there was a deeper meaning that she was missing.

“I’d like to kiss you,” he told her, drawing her thoughts away from his words.

If her pulse hadn’t just gone through the roof and her stomach dropped into her shoes, she might have wondered is he intended his words to distract her (he didn’t seem the type to ask, after all). Instead she simply nodded her consent and submitted to the most beautiful kiss she could ever remember.

When he pulled away, she felt light headed, but in a delightful way. She smiled at him and he picked her up, placing her on his lap, so he could better kiss her.

She wasn’t about to complain.

She vaguely wondered how far this would go. If he pressed, she would give herself to him, she knew, even in this dank cave with his ‘son’ present. It wasn’t like her to behave like this, thanks to her upbringing and having been taught that sex was a sin (especially premarital sex) she still had a lot of issues around the subject. Usually she had to psych herself up to sleeping with someone, often using alcohol to help. Not this time though. Somehow, she knew that this wasn’t wrong, bad or a sin, as she had been taught.

Given that the situation was far from than ideal though, she was pleased when Loki stopped before things got too heavy and tucking her head under his chin, he seemed content just to hold her.

She supposed she could wait until they were back in Asgard.

As she drifted off to sleep, she wondered if Loki would feel the same way once they were back in Asgard and she felt a brief stab of panic. She was strong though, she had been led on and had her heart broken before, and she had coped. There was something else going on here though, something her heart recognised before her head did.

“We will make it through this, won’t we?” she asked softly.

“I promise that I will do everything I can to keep you safe.”

His answer felt like an evasion and did nothing to reassure her.

* * *

The next night he taught her astral projection and how to ‘step into’ the alternate images she created. He explained that it was similar magic because to open a portal, she would need to visualise the destination, and projecting an avatar of oneself required her to visualise the destination of her other image.

The night after that, he taught her a form of telepathy. She couldn’t read minds exactly but he taught her to read emotions and mind-set using his magic. Apparently, being in tune with one another would be vital to the three of them working together to open a portal.

After that, with nothing else to teach her related to the portal, they practiced her existing skills, and Loki even threw in a few unrelated tricks, such as how to create fire, shapeshift and turn invisible. She could tell that he was pleased to be sharing his gifts with someone else and she was surprised to realise that teaching suited him. She had expected him to be more impatient, but it seemed that his love of magic included taking pleasure in others use of it as well. 

While the Aesr were all magical beings to some extent, she had quickly learned that the type of magics that Loki wielded were not common on Asgard. She supposed that just having someone interested enough to be taught was probably a rare pleasure for him.

They were attacked by something every day, sometimes more than once a day, but Loki’s shield seemed to keep them safe in the caves at night. Some of the creatures they faced were dangerous, while some only looked menacing. The wraith attacks were easiest. Loki explained that Wraits were simply spirits that had either escaped from the kingdom, or had been banished and while they appeared frightening (at least to Faith, who’s culture feared ghosts) thy couldn’t actually harm anyone. Centuries of being in the wasteland had made them look grotesque and they ‘attacked’ out of loneliness. The most harm they did though, was leave Faith feeling cold and shaky.

The Serpents were most common but also the easiest to kill.

They had only seen one dragon but Loki had easily handled it by freezing it, and Faith had actually been excited to see a true, honest to God, fire-breathing dragon.

She and Loki were openly affectionate with each other after the night of their first kiss and usually, they slept cuddled together in some way, but Loki never pressed her for more.

She was half glad and half he didn’t, and half wishing that he would. She could have taken the initiative but now wasn’t the time or the place, so she tried to emulate the laid back attitude of Asgardians and take things slowly. She would be on Asgard for at least a year after all, and that would leave nine months or so once they returned from this trip. That was plenty of time to engage in the carnal pleasures that his touch awakened in her.

* * *

Faith and Loki lay on their backs, panting heavily.

Faith turned to him. “Spend a year in Asgard, they said. It’ll be fun, they said!” her voice was laden with sarcasm and Loki chuckled.

“It was only a small demon, darling.”

“You call that small?” she asked, raising her hand to her head, where she had a nasty bump on the right side.

Sleipnir neighed, reminding them that they were still exposed.

“H’s right,” Loki said, getting to his feet.

He offered a hand to help Faith up, which she gratefully accepted; wincing as she got up and felt a terrible pain in her side. She looked down to see blood covering the leather and metal armour that Loki had conjured for her. 

Loki was about to suggest they take a look, until Sleipnir screamed, rearing on his hind legs and striking the demon with a front hoof, knocking it out. Only moments later thought, it moved slightly, already waking up. Sleipnir trampled it, rearing up and landing on it until it seemed dead.

“Let’s find somewhere to camp for the night,” Loki suggested, even although it was early.

Faith nodded and Loki put her arm around his shoulder, while he wrapped one around her waist, clamping his hand over the wound to try and staunch the bleeding.

“Sleipnir, go on ahead, find us a cave,” Loki ordered.

The horse snorted. ‘ _You’re both hurt, you can't protect her alone_.’

Loki didn’t argue and they continued on, although it wasn’t long before Faith collapsed, and Loki had to carry her, bridal style. Now that he didn’t have to worry about causing her pain, they were faster and although the first cave they came to was too small to be comfortable for Sleipnir, they had little choice but to take it.

Since he couldn’t stand on straight legs, Sleipnir lay on the floor and Loki put Faith down beside him. He quickly stripped her armour away and saw that her left side had four puncture wounds which were bleeding profusely, and there were traces of a yellow viscous liquid.

“Demon claws,” Loki said and he knew from his research, that the wounds were probably 5 inches deep.

He placed his hand over the wound and willed it to heal but it wouldn’t. He touched a finger to the yellow substance and sniffed it.

‘ _What’s wrong, Father_?’

“Poison,” he answered. “I suspected as much.”

‘ _Can you save her_?’

Loki looked into Sleipnr’s eyes. “Not with magic. The berries we brought are our only hope.” He retrieved the box of fruit from Sleipnir’s saddlebag.

‘ _But Frigga_!’

“I know, I know.” Loki sighed as he crouched beside Faith and opened the box, waving his hand over the contents to remove the stasis spell which kept the fruit fresh. “But what choice do we have? Without the fruit, I can't make mother whole but without Faith, I can't send her home.”

He gently squeezed the fruit from one berry over her mouth, letting the juice drip onto her lips. After a few drops, she didn’t swallow, so with a flick of his wrist, he controlled her throat muscles and forced her to swallow. Confident that he could repeat it, he pressed the rest of the berry into her mouth.

“We shall just have to hope that we have enough for both,” Loki said aloud, although he was talking more to himself than to Sleipnir.

Slowly, he fed her the berries, squashing each red morsel before pressing the fruit through her lips, since she was beyond chewing.

He continued to feed her until the fruit was half gone and his fingers hesitated on the next berry. He had come this far and without enough fruit for Frigga, his journey would have been for nothing.

Without Faith however…

He picked another berry from the pot and held it over her lips.

‘ _We can't risk giving her more_.’ Sleipnir brayed.

“I’m not sure we can risk not giving her more.”

‘ _Don’t be rash, Father. See how she responds and give her more if necessary_.’

“What if it’s too late then?”

‘ _The fruit works wonders. Don’t doom this quest before it has had a chance to succeed_.’

“You’re right.” He sighed. “I know you’re right. I just wish the decision was easier to live with.”

He returned the berry to the pot and closed it, then he turned his attention to her wounds. The venomous poison would prevent healing until the berries had worked their magic but in the meantime, he cleaned the area and conjured bandages to dress the wound. He was pleased to note that the bleeding didn’t seem as copious as when he first unveiled the wound, and he hoped that was a sign that the fruit was healing her, rather than that she was dying.

‘ _Will she be all right_?’ Sleipnir brayed, sounding very young.

“I hope so,” Loki answered.

Sleipnir laid his head over her breast, his breath tickling her chin.

‘ _You should redress her_ ,’ Sleipnir said. ‘ _She is a very modest person_.’

“A result of her childhood, no doubt” Loki agreed, having looked into the Catholic Church institution that she had spoken of. “But I need to check her wounds regularly. Besides, she still wears that ridiculous brassiere garment that human women are so fond of, so her modesty is intact.”

‘ _You should check your own wounds_.’

“I am not badly hurt, it was unable to scratch me. I will have to redesign her armour though, I didn’t realise there was a weak point in the side.”

Neither of them voiced the unspoken ‘ _if_ she wakes up’.  

“What about you?” Loki asked.

‘I’m fine Father.’

“Are you sure?”

‘ _I am the greatest horse in Asgard, of course I’m sure_ ,’ he answered indignantly.

Loki smirked. “Well, even if there isn’t much of a family resemblance, you can certainly tell that you’re my son.”

 


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

It took three days for Faith to awaken and Loki had seriously wondered if he should feed her more of the fruit. She would probably need another two days to fully heal, even with the fruit to heal her; that was how potent the venom was.

She had been restless for the past day, her sleep seeming troubled by bad dreams, she had cried out a few times and Loki had soothed her until she settled down into a peaceful slumber once more.

He was coming to realise that his feelings for this mortal went far deeper than he had anticipated, which was troubling for many reasons. Why couldn’t she just have been boring like other humans?

Of course if she were like other humans, he would not have needed her to accompany him on this quest. In fact, he would not even have been able to take this quest, since opening a portal to return home was depending on her power to help him and Frigga.

Saying goodbye to her was going to be a bitch.

“Faith?” Loki called gently leaning over her as he saw her eyebrows flutter. Sleipnir joined him, intent on making sure she was all right.

She looked up into the face of a horse and an insane god.

“It’s Mr Ed and Loco Loki,” she groaned. “And I thought my dreams were weird.”

She felt a puff of air on her cheek from Sleipnr. ‘ _I’m glad you did not die_.’

“Thanks.” She reached a hand up to stroke the side of his face. “Me too.”

“Me three,” Loki chimed in. “You had us worried there.”

“Is there any water?” she asked.

Loki conjured a canteen and helped her to sit up. She tried to grab the bottle but Loki pulled it away.

“You haven’t drunk anything for three days, sip slowly or you’ll likely be sick.”

He brought the canteen back and she allowed him to tip it for her, so she wouldn’t take too much.

She put her hands under herself so she could properly sit up.

“Furs?” she asked, as she felt the silky soft covering she was lying on.

“Well you did almost die, it felt fitting to push the boat out a little,” Loki teased, and she smiled.

“What was that thing?”

“A demon.”

“What is a demon?”

“They are creatures who find their way into this real by mistake, often during the convergence or similar events. When they die here, they don’t die properly, the lands infects them and turns them into what you saw. What sort of creature it was originally though, I cannot tell.”

“What happens if _we_ die here?” she asked.

“We become like them, unless cremated. I wouldn’t have let that happen to you.”

She nodded her thanks, too tired to answer. Every muscle in her body ached, as if she had just done a dozen of Natasha’s training sessions on the trot.

Loki offered her a little more water but she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

Loki supported her weight as she drank, then he lowered her back to the ground.

“Sleep,” he instructed.

“We need to move on,” she mumbled.

“You would only be a liability in your present state.”

“Don’t sugar coat it,” she whispered but a moment later, her steady breathing assured him that she was sleeping.

He gently pulled the dressing from her wound and surveyed the damage. It still wept a little but the fluid was mostly clear now and there was no signs of the venom. She was healing but a jolt could easily open her wounds once more, and he dreaded to think what another attack would do. She needed to rest and relax for at least another two days. He hoped not much more though, because they were all uncomfortable in this small cave. Poor Sleinir had been unable to even stand up since they arrived.

Bending down, Loki placed a kiss on her forehead.

“Sleep well,” he whispered. He reached a hand out to pat Sleipnir’s neck.

“How are you holding up?”

‘ _It’s not a stable in Asgard but it will suffice_.’

Loki smiled. “You’re far too forgiving to be my child.”

Sleipnir chuckled.

* * *

 

The second time Faith awoke she felt a little better. Although her mouth tasted like it was full of ash.

She looked around and realised that Loki was sleeping next to her, his arm around her waist. She turned her head in the other direction and saw that Slepnir was awake.

“Hey,” she greeted.

‘ _Morning. He’s been worried about you_ ,” the horse gestured to Loki with his head. ‘ _He’s hardly slept at all_.’

“It seems he’s taken good care of me,” she agreed.

‘ _More than that, he loves you_.’

“Don’t be silly, I’m mortal.”

‘ _Mortal or not, he cannot control his heart any more than the rest of us can_.’

Faith still didn’t believe that he could love her, he was a prince, while she was a lowly orphan, and this most certainly wasn’t a fairytale.

‘ _I have been around my father for centuries, I have seen him happy and I have seen him in abject misery. I’ve seen him win and lose, laugh and cry, and I’ve seen him infatuated and in lust. I have never seen him care for anyone but his own mother, as much as he cared for you_.’

“I suppose I have to believe you then.” Faith smiled sadly as she gazed down at Loki.

‘ _This does not please you_?’

“Love is always welcome but we come from different worlds. Your father did not accept Jane for Thor and he will not accept me for Loki. I’m only here because Thor insisted SHIELD be allowed to monitor Loki, and he made to clear to me that I wasn’t welcome. ”

Sleipnir looked sad. ‘ _I don’t know what the future will hold for you, but I do know that happiness can be fleeting. Don’t give up on this because of future pain; no one ever looked back and lamented all the things they did do, only those they did not_.’

“You’re very wise, Mr Ed,” she teased.

‘ _Tell him that_ ,’ Sleipnir answered. ‘ _And who is Mr Ed_?’

Faith smiled. “It’s an old earth TV show, about a talking horse.”

“TV show?”

“Like a play. Don’t worry, it’s a compliment,” she assured him.

Sleipnir appeared to grin but then grew serious.

‘ _He gave you half the fruit be brought for his mother_.’

Faith didn’t know what that meant and had no idea how to respond.

‘ _He would have given you more, he was so worried, but I had to remind him why he came here_.’

“Sleipnir,” Loki’s voice held a note of warning.

“What is he talking about?” Faith asked, turning to Loki.

He clearly had only just awoken, and judging from is expression, not in a good mood.

“If we are given permission to bring Frigga back, she will be given form but she will not be alive. Before she can leave, she must first be brought back to life and the only way to do that, is with Idun’s fruit.”

Faith searched her memories. “I thought she produced apples that extended life?”

“That’s a mistranslation by your people, when Idun first came to Earth, they did not even have apples in Scandinavia. She has always grown a type of berry of her own creation, she is… I suppose you would call her a botanist. It took her centuries to produce a fruit imbued with the powers it has. If taken regularly, it can prolong life for hundreds or thousands of years, it can also heal the gravely sick and in this instance, infuse a being with life. Luckily when I met with her, she gave me a little extra.”

Faith felt tears stinging her eyes. “You’ve risked saving Frigga to save me?”

Loki didn’t answer but his eyes told her all she needed to know. She threw herself at him and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you.”

Slowly, his arms came up and he embraced her.

“It was logical really, even if I was able to bring Frigga back to life, I couldn’t send her home without you to help open a portal.”

Faith remembered Sleipnir’s words though, that he had wanted to give her more.

“I still thank you.”

“Don’t get too attached,” he warned her, although the words seemed to pain him. “We both know that this cannot have a happy ending.”

“I know,” she agreed. “I don’t expect you to pop back to earth for visits like Thor and even if you did, I don’t know if I could live with that. Can't we just enjoy this for what it is though? I don’t exactly have many happy memories, so I’d like to make some.”

He didn’t answer but his hand began to stroke her back as he held her.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Famished.”

“Then let’s get you fed and watered, I’m sure you’ll feel better then.”

Sleipnir neighed.

“You too,” Loki said with a smile.

Faith sat up and looked around. “It’s tiny in here,” she noted.

‘ _Tell me about it_!’ Sleipnir agreed.

“We didn’t exactly have a lot of choice.”

“It’s still light out, maybe we should move on before we eat. How many hours of daylight are left?”

“Seven or eight, but you aren’t going anywhere until you’re properly healed, the day after tomorrow at the earliest.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t care if you believe you will be fine or not, you are a liability right now.”

“I am not! I once fought a Russian terrorist while I had a broken leg, and I won!”

“Perhaps, but we are not facing Russian terrorists, we are facing monsters and to do that, we must be at our best, and that includes you.”

Sleipnir bowed his head, appearing sad, and Faith noticed how low the cave was, she might just be able to stand upright but she was sure that neither Loki nor Sleipnr would.

“How long have we been here?”

“Four days.”

“Four days?” She felt awful, not only that they were in such cramped conditions but that she had cost Loki so much time. “Okay, we won’t travel today but we have to move caves, it’s not fair on either of you to live in such a small space.”

“We have survived.”

“True, but surviving isn’t thriving and you both need to be at your best.” She threw his arguments back at him

Loki glared at her. “There is no alternative.”

“Yes there is. We’ll move this morning and if we do, I promise to be good and stay put until you say we can leave.”

“You will stay put regardless.” His voice had a slightly growling undertone.

“Oh yeah? And what exactly can you do to stop me?”

“You cannot best me, puny human, so do not even try.”

Faith made to get up but Loki grabbed her wrists and forced her back onto the furs. “You may have copied my powers, but you do not have my strength.”

Faith grinned. “I don’t need it.”

She disappeared, leaving Loki holding thin air, and reappeared on the path, just outside the cave.

“I can see another cave not two hundred meters away,” she told them. “The entrance looks huge so at least you’ll both be able to stand upright.”

“Faith!” he warned.

“See you both there.”

She disappeared again, leaving Loki little choice but to follow her.

“That girl will be the death of me.” He said.

Sleipnir laughed.

With a simple hand gesture, all the creature comforts in the cave disappeared and Loki lowered the protective barrier over the entrance.

It took Sleipnir a while to manoeuvre out of the cave and he stretched once he could stand upright.

“Come on.” Loki led and Sleipnir followed.

They arrived at the cave to see that it was indeed huge and Faith had just finished making it comfortable. She had conjured furs to sleep on, a table, chairs and breakfast, as well as a bed of straw in the corner, a hay net and bucket of water for Sleipnir.

Faith was sitting at the table, pouring herself come tea and looking rather drawn.

“Okay, you’re right, I overdid it,” she said as he say opposite her, seething with anger. “But I’m not sorry. You’re both here now, both comfortable and when we set off again, we’ll all be well rested.”

“Tell me, what would have happened if you had crashed into one of the magical barriers that litter this land?”

“Well presumably, I would have bounced off it and not been able to teleport.”

“If it were that simple. Don’t you think we would be teleporting our way there?”

Faith hadn’t really considered the magical barriers held told her of at all, so she had no defence.

“If you had crossed one, your magic would have been stripped away, leaving you mortal and you would have fallen at the point of the barriers.” He was talking evenly but Faith could see the rage in his eyes. “This means that as well as incurring who knows what kind of injures in the fall, you would be completely mortal again and believe me when I say that even although they are healing, you would not survive the injuries you have, in a mortal body. I didn’t save you only for you to get yourself killed!”

Faith began to realise how dumb she had been. “I didn’t want you two being uncomfortable because of me but you’re right, I didn’t consider the consequences. I’m sorry.”

He looked surprised by her words.

“Can you forgive me?” she asked.

Loki didn’t seem to know how to answer but after a few moments, he formulated a reply.

“Providing you do as I say from now on, I will drop the matter.”

Faith nodded. “I will. Promise.”

Loki took a deep breath and released it slowly, seemingly letting some of his rage out with it.

“Eat up,” he said

Faith smiled and tucked into the breakfast she had conjured.

After eating she needed to sleep again but Loki insisted on checking her founds first, then on lying on the furs with her while she rested.

She drifted off to sleep to the sound of Loki and Sleipnir discussing the merits of something called kubb.

* * *

 

Faith awoke with her head resting on Loki’s chest. His right arm was around her waist, while in his left hand, he held a book.

Faith snuggled in closer, unwilling to awake properly yet.

She felt Loki place a kiss on the top of her head and she returned the favour, turning her head to press a kiss on his tunic. Only he wasn’t wearing a tunic but rather a very loose shirt, the kind done up with laces, except this shirt had no laces. She has just kissed his chest and now that she thought about it, most of her cheek rested on his naked chest also.

Hesitation froze her.

“Where’s Sleipnir?” she asked, noticing he wasn’t in her eyeline.

“He went to explore deeper in the cave.”

She wondered how long he’d be gone. Long enough for what she was contemplating?

“I can practically hear you thinking,” he said, as he used magic to turn the page of his book.

Having been called out, and with Sleipnir’s words about regret ringing in her head, she plunged forward with her idea, turned her head slightly and pressed another kiss to his chest, letting her lips linger before placing a second and third kiss.

When she dared to look up, Loki was staring at her, one eyebrow raised in a silent question.

She didn’t answer, just resumed her earlier actions, this time spreading his shirt wider to allow better access.

He lowered his book and as her hand trailed down, over his chest and navel to rub his length, he closed his eyes and moaned softly.

Loki knew he should stop her, he knew it was wrong to consummate something that would lead nowhere but right now, he couldn’t kind the will to do what was right.

* * *

 

Loki had been exceptionally gentle with her, careful at all times not to hurt her wounds further but even although she had been required to do little other than lie back and enjoy herself, she was still exhausted.

She was glad Loki hadn’t agreed to travel today because she was pretty sure she would have fallen asleep, and then probably fallen from the horse.

“Thank you,” she said as she curled into him, her fingers tracing random patterns on his chest.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been thanked for sex before,” he said with amusement.

“Maye you’ve never been that good before,” she teased.

As the sound of hooves reached her ears she froze in panic, despite her nakedness being concealed under more furs. Sleipnir would know what they had been up to and although she hated it, her first instinct was still to feel shame.

“Relax,” Loki assured her. “Given his age and origins, Sleipnir is the least likely to judge you of anyone you will ever met.”

She nodded, knowing he was right even if she couldn’t truly feel it.

“How old is he?” she asked out of curiosity.

“Almost 700. You might say, he was a youthful indiscretion.”

Sleipnir walked into their chamber of the cave and brayed.

‘ _It’s about time_ ,’ was his only comment, before laying down on the straw and picking at his hay net.

* * *

 

“Loki?”

They were laying on the furs after spending most of the day talking. The light had faded and the cave was lit with candles that Loki had conjured. Sleipnir appeared to be asleep and Faith hoped to finally get an answer to the question she had been asking herself since New York.

“Mmm?” Loki answered. His hand was trailing lazily up and down her arm as she lay snuggled into him.

“Why did you invade Midgard?”

Loki’s arm stopped caressing her for the briefest second, before be resumed his actions but he didn’t answer.

Faith decided not to press the issue, she was enjoying his company too much to make things uncomfortable between them.

Loki wondered what to tell her. He hated pity with a vengeance, yet when this ended, he didn’t want Faith to think badly of him. If she questioned his motives on Midgard, she might question why she was with him, and he disliked that idea enormously.

“I was desperate,” he finally said softly.

Faith literally held her breath, as if any action on her part could prevent him from continuing.

“When I fell into the void, I expected to die, instead I landed someplace unknown to Asgard, a world controlled by one of Thanos’s minions, known as the Other. He knew of the tesseract’s whereabouts thanks to SHIELD’s work with it, but he had no means to fetch it. The Other told him of my arrival and he could sense how powerful my magic was, so they tried to bargain with me.”

“Tried to?”

“I had no desire to return to the nine realms, I had expected to die and I was slightly put out that I hadn’t.”

“Couldn’t you kill yourself?” she asked, out of curiosity not cruelty.

“How?” he asked. “The most powerful being on your planet could do little more than injure me. Suicide is not so easy when you are immortal.”

“So what happened?” Faith asked.

“I tried to leave but they wouldn’t allow it. Thanos already possessed one infinity stone, the mind stone, and he used it to inflict all sorts of mental tortures on me. I died a thousand deaths in my mind, only to wake up and realise that my suffering was not yet over.”

He lapsed into silence for a few moments and Faith pressed herself tighter into his side, as if she could sooth him somehow.

“His tortures were exceptionally clever, often he would fulfil my dreams, I would be respected, valued, appreciated, sometimes I even fell in love and had a family, only to fall from grace in the worst ways, often with those I loved turning against me and even physically torturing me, then killing me. Or with everyone I valued being take from me before the suffering came. Each of these scenarios seemed to take years, sometimes centuries to play out but when I returned to Earth, it was only a human year later, so they could not have actually lasted more than a few hours at most.”

“Why did you keep refusing?” she asked.

“I was stubborn and I refused to be anybody’s pawn. I had lived my life being Odin’s pawn, saved only for the political value I might have, and I refused to be so again. When I finally agreed, I had all but forgotten who I was. The Other actually had to nurse me, as it were, until I was capable enough to return to Earth.”

“But why not just send him the tesseract, why try to rule?”

“Because he wanted to see if humanity was a threat to him.”

“You had the last laugh though,” she reminded him. “You defeated him while masquerading as Odin.”

“Oh, that was just clean up, darling,” he sounded pleased with himself.

“What do you mean?”

“The real betrayal came while I was on Earth.”

“I don’t understand?”

“I told you Thanos has one Infinity Stone already, did I not?”

“The mind stone.”

“Exactly. What do you think powered my sceptre?”

“Wait, so you meant to leave it on Earth?”

“Of course, along with the Tesseract. I might have been broken but I was still determined not to be anybody’s puppet”

“So you meant to lose?”

“Of course. I was the one controlling Erik Selvig with the mind stone, what do you think made him build in a failsafe?”

“But the Avengers?”

“I knew that to be effective, they had to be angry, or they would never work together.”

“But… why not just tell SHIELD everything when you got here?”

“I’m not naturally trusting at the best of times and after what I had endured... Besides, they were watching me. If Thanos thought I had failed, I knew I would have time to plan before facing him but if he thought that I had betrayed him, he would have torn the heavens apart to find me and extract his revenge. By leaving the mind stone on Midgard, he couldn’t torture me mentally any longer, which meant I could formulate a strategy to destroy him once I was released.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone all this?” she asked. Everyone would have understood if they knew he had been forced into these actions, tortured to obey.

“Who would you have me tell?” he asked. “I had lived a thousand lives and been betrayed a thousand times. I knew not who I could trust and even when I regained my sense of self and my true memories, those feelings did not fade. In addition, although it was mainly thanks to my use of magic and cunning over brawn, I have been known as the God of Lies since infancy; I showed no signs of torture and given my crimes against Jotunheim and my newly discovered status as a Frost Giant, the greatest enemy Asgard had faced in 2,000 years, who would have believed me?”

Faith raised her head off his chest and looked into his eyes.

“I believe you.”

‘ _I believe you too, Father_.’

Faith looked over to Sleipnir, surprised to find that he seemed to have tears in his eyes and she looked back a Loki, her own waterworks in danger of spilling over.

“Thank you,” he said, looking to the, both in turn.

“I won’t pry again because I know how hard bad memories can me, and mine are nothing to that, but I want you to know that if you need to talk, you can come to me. I won’t tell anyone, I swear.”

“Thank you,” he said, slightly dismissively.

“No, don’t do that,” she told him, taking a hold of his chin and forcing him to look at her. “You can refuse to take me up on the offer, but don’t cast it aside as if I don’t mean it. I do. Everyone needs someone, Loki, and you can trust me. I can handle whatever you tell me and unlike everyone else in your life, you don’t have any false memories of me, and I will never give you a reason to distrust me.”

“You work for SHIELD.”

She hadn’t thought of that and she frowned, wondering how her job, which had been her whole reason for getting up in the mornings, had so quickly become a non-issue to her.

“It doesn’t matter, Loki. Anything you tell me in confidence, unless you’re threatening to hurt to hurt someone, will stay between us. I swear.”

He was silent for a few moments, then he finally nodded. “Thank you.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Gaining permission from Modguor to cross the river Gjoll was far easier than Faith expected. She had pictured something similar to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, with tests of bravery, courage and endurance, or at least a riddle.

The giantess looked fearsome but in the end, she simply wanted to know their business in Helheim and once Loki had explained, she stood aside and wished them well.

The kingdom was now just a few hours ride away and baring any attacks, they just had to face the hellhounds before they could gain entrance to the city. Of course, that could be easier said than done. Faith was picturing something like Dobermans or Rottweilers but when they finally caught a glimpse of the city, she realised that they were about the size of a large van.

The city also seemed heavily fortified, with walls easily fifty feet high.

They were far enough away that the hounds hadn’t spotted them yet, and Faith expected Loki to pause and plan an attack. Instead Loki suddenly kicked Sleipnir into a gallop and they raced towards the city.

Faith clung on for dear life, terrified that she would die either falling from the horse, or in the jaws of a hellhound. Neither sounded pleasant.

Sleipnir began to reach speeds that Faith had never dreamed a horse could do but thanks to the black, sandy earth, they didn’t make a lot of noise, so it wasn’t until they were perhaps a hundred meters away that the dogs were even roused from their slumber.

There were five hounds in total, the largest the size of a bus and over Loki’s shoulder, Faith saw his eyes widen in surprise, then his teeth draw back as he growled, then he leapt at them, the other dogs following his lead.

She clenched her eyes closed, certain that the dogs were about to bring Sleipnir down, then she felt the horse jump. She risked opening her eyes and saw that they were flying, right over the wall into the kingdom on the other side. Sleipnir was glowing slightly green, so she guessed that Loki was using magic to help him levitate. Either that, or Sleipnir would put every winner ever of the Horse of the Year Show to shame.

Grace barely kept her breakfast down but Loki sat as sure as an ancient tree and thanks to her strong grip, she was as safe as he.

Sleipnir landed gracefully and cantered in a wide circle as he slowed down to a walk.

“You can let go now.” Loki sounded pained and she realised that she wasn’t just holding on with all her might, she was holding on with Asgardian strength.

“Oh god, I’m sorry.” She loosened her grip and he seemed to relax. “What was that?”

“Sleipnir is an excellent horse, able to do far more than your human beasts and with a little help from my magic, you can see what we accomplished.”

Faith practically fell from the saddle since her limbs felt like jelly, and she made her way to Sleipnir’s head.

“Are you okay? You didn’t hurt yourself?”

‘ _That was fun_!’ he neighed and she patted his neck, relieved.

Erethral beings drifted all around them and slowly a crowd of sorts began to form. The city itself seemed to be in ruins but she supposed that wasn’t surprising, what use did ghosts have for buildings?

She heard marching suddenly and from thin air, a line of beings advanced upon them, some sort of pointy weapon aimed at her. She backed up until she felt Loki’s arms encircle her waist as he pulled her against him.

“What business have you here?” a chilling voice asked and slowly, those who had been advancing on them split down the middle and in the gap, came a being in a long black, hooded cloak. Below the hood, Faith could just make out the jaw line of a skull. She pressed herself closer to Loki.

“Now really, Hel, is that any way to speak to your father?”

The being in black hesitated for a moment, then it’s head rose just enough so that she could properly see out from under the hood.

“Papa!” it cried suddenly and as it ran at Loki, the hood fell back, and Faith shied away from the skeletal countenance below.

Since the creature was running straight at her, she moved to the side to escape and thankfully, Loki released her, just in time to pick the creature up around the waist and hold it against him.

She had missed most of what was said but observing their odd behaviour now, she remembered that Loki had called himself ‘father’ while the creature had called him ‘papa’.

Sleipnir nudged her shoulder, as if he understood how disconcerted she felt.

Finally Loki and (what had be called her, Hell?) separated and turned to them.

“Brother,” the creature said to Sleipnir, and he duly stepped forward to greet her.

‘I’ve missed you.’

“And I you.” It flung its arms around Sleipnir’s neck and held tightly.

She caught Loki observing her and she could swear that he seemed amused by her discomfort. When finally the creature released Sleipnir, Loki stepped up beside it once more.

“Hel, I’d like you to meet Faith, a very good friend of mine. Faith, this is Hel, my daughter and ruler of Helheim.”

The woman held out a skeletal hand and Faith recoiled slightly. Loki put his arm around Hel’s shoulders.

“Now, dear girl, Faith is human, mostly, so do not take her aversion to heart.”

Hel looked down at her hand and seemed to realise she was skeletal.

“Sorry, I don’t even think about it here.” With a green shimmer, she transformed into a beautiful young woman and Faith could see the family resemblance in the black hair and brilliant blue eyes. “I haven’t met a stranger in decades,” she explained. “Well, not a living one, and they don’t care how I look since they’re dead.”

When the hand was proffered again, Faith shook it. “Pleased to meet you.”

Hel turned to her father. “Did you bring the orb?”

Loki retrieved the translucent greenish ball from Sleipnir’s saddle bag and handed it to Hel, who then looked towards the gathered crowd of spirits, taking a few moments to survey those present. She smiled as she spotted what she was looking for. With a flash of green, one of the spirits seemed to be consumed by light and as the brightness abated, before them stood a very human looking woman, although her clothing and hair were clearly Asgardian.

“Mother!”

Loki ran at the woman, who seemed confused, but when he scooped her into his arms, her arms wrapped themselves around his shoulders.

She looked just like the portraits that Grace had seen of Frigga around the castle, except that she seemed washed out. She wasn’t exactly rendered in shades of black and white but she wasn’t far off it.

“Loki,” she said, her voice cracking.

“Let’s head back to the castle,” Hel suggested. “We can talk there.”

* * *

The castle seemed to be the only building that wasn’t a ruin but as they approached it, Faith couldn’t help but think that it looked like something from a horror movie.

The guards that had accompanied Hel were marching in front of the party and as they walked, Hel explained that they were automatons, essentially animated sand. They were here when she arrived and guarded her everywhere she went, even although in all her reign, no one living had ever made it as far as the city before.

Behind the guards, Hel, Faith and Sleipnir walked in a row, Loki and Frigga walked arm in arm behind them, talking animatedly each time Faith glanced around at them.

“So, how did you end up here?” Faith asked Hel.

“Odin banished me.”

“Why?”

Hel sighed.

“I never really fit in,” she began to explain with a heavy sigh. “I only came to the palace after my mother died, I hadn’t met my father before then.” She chuckled. “He was somewhat surprised, let me tell you, but he took it well. Frigga and Thor were welcoming too, although Thor was a huge jerk back then but it was just his way. Odin on the other hand, well he’s, what do you humans call it, a dick?”

“Yeah, it’ll do.” Faith agreed.

“Anyway, the charred skeletal look is my normal appearance (no, I don’t know why) and Odin hated it, he almost refused to look at me. Both my parents were shapeshifters so Frigga and Father taught me how to disguise my looks, like this.” She gestured to her current appearance. “The problem was that whenever I got upset or angry, my natural form came out and I couldn’t seem to stop it. Father said that it was most likely some kind of defence mechanism but anyway, Odin tended to make me angry a lot, so around him, I almost always looked as I did when we just met.

“Then I hit my rebellious phase. I was done trying to please him and did everything I could to make his life difficult. Not a great plan, I admit, and Father tried to talk me out of it, to tone things down, but I couldn’t. I pulled a prank that went wrong, people were injured, and Odin banished me here. Personally I think he’d just been looking for an excuse to get rid of me since I arrived, Thor had done much worse in the past but of course, he was the golden child.”

“How long have you been here?” Faith asked.

“I’m not sure, time moves differently here. When Father last visited though, he said it was fifty nine years.”

“He’s been here before?” Faith was shocked.

Hel nodded. “He came soon after Frigga died. Don’t ask me how, but he got hold of Odin’s sceptre, Gungnir, and used that to open a portal directly into the city. He wanted to know how to bring Frigga back and I explained what was needed. To be honest, he’s been gone so long that I thought he’d changed his mind.”

“He was impersonating Odin and when he was caught, he was imprisoned.”

“Ah, that explains it them. And it’s much harder to get here and back without Gungnir.”

“That’s why he brought me, to help open a portal.”

“You know magic?” Hel looked surprised.

“I copy it, so I have Loki’s magic.”

“Well, Loki and Frigga are probably the two most powerful magicians in the nine realms, so it should be easy enough to get you two home then.” Hel turned around to look at her father, a warm smile on her lips. “I’m glad he came back. I make do but it does get lonely here, it’ll be nice to have company.”

‘Two? Company?’ Faith thought, and the gnawing sensation in the pit of her stomach flared up. “You mean someone’s staying?”

“Someone has to,” Hel explained. “I’m bound by the rules of the kingdom and I cannot release a life without replacing it.”

What if he’d brought her not to open a portal, but to leave her here? Would his mother and daughter allow it? Of course they would, she was only a mortal after all.

If he needed her alive to trade for his mother, that would make more sense as to why he kept her alive, other than just because he liked her.

But was she doing Loki a disservice?

He did genuinely seem to care for her but then again, the first day they met, he hit her hard enough I kill a mortal, just to prove a point.

The trouble with Loki was that he was so mercurial that it was almost impossible to tell what he would do, and forget about understanding his motivations.

Once in the castle, three of the guards split off from the rest and Hel explained that they would show them to their rooms.

“Once you are refreshed, they will be waiting outside your doors to guide you to me.”

If Faith thought it odd when she and Loki were led to only one room, she didn’t show it (obviously Hel was perceptive) she couldn’t hide her surprised however, when Sleipnir was led up stairs with them and shown to a room.

For the first time since they landed on this realm, Faith stood before a mirror.

“My God,” she gasped. “I look like a street urchin out of a Dicken’s novel.”

The fine black sand, combined with the sometimes strong gusts of wind, had painted her face a sooty colour, and her usually sleek black hair was mused and windswept. She had been washing every evening with a bowl of water but in the low light every night, she had no idea how dirty she was becoming each day.

Somehow, Loki didn’t end each day looking like she did.

“You’ve been using some kind of dirt repelling spell, haven’t you?” she asked.

She turned to see that he looked rather amused. “Something like that.”

“Thanks for telling me.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

“My pleasure.”

Faith stormed off to look at the doors that led off the room, finding one which looked like a bathroom and had a massive stone tub. Although not dirty or dusty, it looked as if it hadn’t been used in decades. There was no plumbing, not even magical plumbing as Asgard had, so she conjured water into the bath and after disrobing using magic, she stepped into the water. She conjured some soap and as she scrubbed at her arms, Loki entered.

Faith gave him a dirty look and he held his hands up in surrender and she noticed that he had changed out of his armour and into casual attire.

“I wasn’t trying to be malicious. You spent your days sitting behind me, where I couldn’t easily see you and you washed each night, so it didn’t occur to me to me that it was even an issue.”

Faith let go of some of her anger, but her worry remained.

“We need to talk,” she told him.

“We do,” he agreed. “But not now. After dinner, when we have no demands on our time.”

Faith nodded. “Okay.”

Loki left, saying that he would see her downstairs when she was ready, and Faith took her time washing, enjoying her first bath in about two weeks.

As she got out, she checked the wound in her side. The claw punctures had healed over thanks to the berries, but they were still an angry pink and although she hadn’t told Loki, it still hurt when she did certain movements.

She conjured what she needed to dry off and brush her hair, then she dressed in her Asgardian leggings and tunic, rather than the armour she had been wearing while travelling. When she was done, she left her room and one of the guards was waiting opposite the door. He turned and walked away, leaving Faith little choice but to follow.

He led her to a large room where Loki and Frigga were sitting with Hel, Sleipnir standing beside them, all of them seemingly relaxed.

Loki smiled as she entered and Frigga got up and crossed to her. As Frigga raised her hands to cup Faith’s face, she almost stepped back, unused to people (let alone strangers) touching her in such a loving way. Somehow she managed not to flinch.

“Thank you for loving my son,” she said, then Faith found herself wrapped in a warm embrace. It took her a few moments to return the hug and as she looked over Frigga’s shoulder, she caught Loki’s eye. His expression was inscrutable and she wondered how much she had missed.

When Frigga pulled away, she took a moment to gaze at Faith, an expression of appreciation on her face.

“Come.” She took Faith’s hand and led her deeper into the room. “Join us.”

As Frigga sat them both on one of the ancient looking sofas in the room, one of the guards approached with a tumbler, which was half full if an amber liquid and perched on a silver tray. She took a tentative sip.

“Whisky?” she asked, surprised.

“One of the few Midgardian beverages that I enjoyed enough to introduce Hel to it,” Loki explained.

“I introduced you to it,” Hel argued. “I discovered it when I visited Midgrd in the 1400s.”

Loki shrugged, not caring enough to correct her.

One of the guards was helping Sleipnir to drink from a very large tumbler, tipping the glass of spirits to his lips so he could sip.

“Shall we complete this ritual,” Loki suggested to Frigga. “Then you can actually eat dinner with is and enjoy it.”

“Loki, I will not allow you to do this,” Frigga said calmly. “It means more to me that you know that you came here and tried to do this for me, but I won’t let you give your life up for mine. Mothers should go before their children.”

“I won’t be dead, mother, I’ll only be remaining here.” Loki argued. “And this is about more than just you and I now. Odin is not a good ruler without you and the realms need their Allmother back.”

“It was my time, Loki.”

“Rubbish. It was Odin’s blindness, his refusal to believe that the Dark Elves could have survived, coupled with exceptionally lax security for new prisoners. He should have protected Jane Foster, not left it to you. After you died, his decisions were so disastrous, that Thor had to commit treason to save Jane and defeat Malikith. He even freed me to help him, so that should tell you how desperate Thor was.”

Frigga looked concerned.

“In recent times, his political aspirations seem to border on totalitarian,” Loki continued “And he’s upset even some of our long-time allies. Some smaller realms are already in the beginnings of war and Odin refuses to act before things become too serious. Without your influence, Mother, I fear that war is a certainty.”

“And you, my dear?” Frigga turned to Faith. “You have been living on Asgard for a few months I understand, what are your impressions of my husband?”

“I’ve only met him once and he made it clear that I wasn’t welcome, so I wasn’t inclined to like him from the start. When I heard he had ordered a child’s had removed for petty theft, I lost any vestiges of respect I might have harboured. As to his rule, I hear talk from the servants and they back up Loki’s opinion, although he probably knows more specifics than I do.”

Frigga seemed most troubled by their revelations.

“Well let’s face it, he was never exactly an impartial or compassionate king.” Clearly Hel was still feeling biter about her own banishment to Helheim for her ‘ _crimes’_.

“He had his moments and he made some poor choices, but he was never heartless or needlessly cruel,” Frigga defended him.

“That was with you by his side,” Loki argued.

“And you are sure that you wish to remain here, alone, until you die?”

“I will be with family.” He smiled at Hel, and Faith could see that he cared for her and had missed her. “And with the orb, I can give bodies to whomever I wish, so I doubt we will be lonely,” Loki assured her with a smirk. “In five years, this will likely be the liveliest of the nine realms.”

“But-”

“No ‘buts’, Mother. This is about more than us and our feelings, this is about restoring order to the realms.”

“And since when have you cared about what was good for the realms?”

Loki looked hurt by her words. “My methods might have been different to the Allfather, but before I fell from the bifrost, I genuinely believed that I was doing what was best for Asgard. Besides, should war erupt, my brother will be on the front lines of any conflict, and that is incentive enough to ensure thing remain peaceful.”

“I thought Thor wasn’t your brother,” Frigga countered but from curiosity, not malice.

Loki smirked. “Things between us began to change once he broke me out of jail. I saved Jane’s life, he saved mine, I saved his… We’ve moved on from the rift Odin created between us. I even tolerate his mortal, if you can believe it.”

Frigga smiled, genuinely pleased to hear this.

“But your father?”

“I still have no wish to claim that man as a father,” he assured her, his voice cold and callous. “I do this for Thor and Asgard, not for him.”

Frigga nodded her understanding and clearly was not about to argue with him over this.

“I need to think,” she announced. “I’ll be in my room if anyone needs me. Enjoy your dinner.”

* * *

Faith didn’t know how she felt about Loki remaining in Helheim. It seemed rather cruel that she had found someone, only to lose him so quickly.

Upon returning to their room, they had loved one another for a second time (and third and forth) and now they both lay sated upon the bed.

“So explain everything to me,” she said, propping her head up on her elbow so she could see his face. “Like I’m a six year old.”

“What do you want to know?”

“What was that crystal ball you gave Hel?”

“An infinity stone, the soul gem.”

“You brought an infinity stone here?”

“I had to, it’s the only way to give a soul corporeal form once more.”

“Where did you get it?” She was floored by his carrying one of the most dangerous stones all through their journey.

“After I defeated Thanos, I came here and spoke to Hel. She explained what I would need to complete this, so I set out to find Idun and hunt the gen down. Idun was easy but I had to search the library for days on end for a trace of the Soul gem. Luckily it isn’t much sought after, so it had been left in its original hiding place, on Alfheim. My reading however, had sparked interest; it was not like the Allfather to do such things, he had other people search libraries and tell him anything relevant. As soon as I returned with the stone, I realised something was wrong and hid the stone, along with the fruit from Idun, in my old rooms, placing a stasis spell on them to protect them. The next day the real Odin was recovered and revived, and I was arrested and returned to the cells.”

“Okay, so the stone gives the soul a body, what’s with the fruit?”

“The fruit gives that body life. Right now she is a shell, able to interact with the world around her but not a part of it. She cannot feel any sensations until that body is given life, which ingesting the fruit will do for her.”

“Okay, and to send her back, a soul must replace hers here, so you have to stay.”

“Yes.”

“Alive?”

“Yes,” he chuckled. “If I were to die, this would be the rightful place for my soul to reside, therefore I could not exchange it for Frigga’s.”

“And what happens to the stone?”

“I will leave it here. I can think of few safer places for it, can you?”

She couldn’t really argue with that, so rested her head back on his chest.

“You’re upset with me,” he told her.

“Of course I am.”

“Can I ask, why haven’t you shouted at me yet?”

“Because any time now, I’ll be going home and you won’t and I don’t want to sour our last few hours together with recriminations.”

“You aren’t going to try and talk me out of it?” he sounded surprised.

“If I thought I had a chance, I would but unfortunately, I know just how bloody stubborn you are. Besides, if there was another way, I’m sure you would have found it; you’re not the kind of man to give his liberty up easily.”

Loki craned his neck and kissed the top of her head.

“I know you might feel that I used you, but I hope you know how much your company has meant to me on this trip. I truly have come to care for you a very great deal, Faith.”

She smiled too herself, wondering at the lengths he was going to say ‘I love you’ without actually having to say it.

“I don’t feel used,” she assured him. “It might have been brief, but our time together has been more meaningful than any other relationship I’ve had.”

“I don’t suppose we can delay your mother’s return, for a few days at least?”

“Once she has made up her mind, no. The realms can't afford to have the Allfather without her for much longer. As it is, with the delays thanks to that demon, she might not get back in time to save the thieving boy.”

He was right and although she didn’t like it, she knew it. She couldn’t risk a child losing his hand just so she could have a few more days of happiness.

They both lapsed into silence after that but neither slept.

As dawn approached, they made love again, with a tenderness that made her ache. As her climax subsided, she turned her face away as her tears began too leak from behind her closed eyes.

Loki moved behind her so that they were spooning and held her tightly.

* * *

The next morning, Frigga had made her choice, the right choice, but she wasn’t happy about it. They all gathered in the sitting room once more, everyone seemingly subdued as they stood in a circle.

After removing the stasis spell, Loki handed her the remaining fruit, which she ate slowly. With each mouthful a little more colour returned to her skin and eyes, until she looked as vital as Faith, possibly even more so, since her lack of sleep had left Faith looking rather tired and dull.

Unlike Faith, Loki was listening for her heartbeat and when he finally heard that flutter back to life, he relaxed.

“I would advise getting more fruit from Idun at the earliest opportunity,” Loki explained. “While what I brought seems sufficient for you to make it through the portal in one piece, it is not as much as I had hoped.”

Frigga put the box aside and stood up, she had tears in her eyes as she approached Loki.

“Let me feel you,” she said, and Faith remembered that until brought back to life, she hadn’t had the sensation of touch.

Loki rose to meet her and his unguarded expression as she put a hand on his cheek, melted Faith’s heart. He closed his eyes and turned his face into her caress.

“Oh, Loki.” Frigga’s tears spilled over and she embraced him, running her hands through his hair and over his back, as if trying to memorise the feel of him.

“If there’s a way to bring you home, I will,” she assured him.

“I don’t doubt it, Mother.”

“I’m so sorry you had to do this.”

“Don’t be.”

Faith was surprised to see tears leaking from beneath his eyes as he held her tightly. She leaned into Sleipnir who was standing beside her, and he nuzzled her shoulder.

“And tell Thor this isn’t his fault,” Loki urged. “I know he’ll find some way to blame himself. Tell him it was my choice.”

“I promise.”

“And try to let Father allow his union with Jane. With regular access to Idun’s fruit, she could live as long as us.”

“I will.”

Finally they broke apart and Loki turned too Faith.

“Darling girl,” he said, taking a step towards him.

Faith stepped back, holding her hand up to stop him. “No.”

He looked more hurt that she could imagine so although she had a whole speech rehearsed, she forewent that in the hoped of removing that awful expression.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Everyone turned to her in shock.

“Faith?” Loki seemed stunned.

“You must come back with me,” Frigga urged.

“No, there is no ‘must’ about this,” she assured them, trying to explain herself. “I want this, I want Loki, I want to stay here.”

“No offense, Love,” Hel piped up, “But I rule this place and even I would gladly leave here if I could.”

“Not if the man you loved was here,” Faith assured her. She stepped closer to Loki and took his hand as she looked into his eyes, urging him to believe her. “You once asked me what I would do for someone who truly loved and cared for me and I answered anything. That’s true and I’m not going to give up what we have, just because we have to live here.”

“I don’t think you realise how hard this realm is,” Loki told her. At least he didn’t look hurt any longer.

“Maybe not but you don’t know how hard it is to go through life totally alone. I have no one, Loki, not a single person who I feel more than friendship for. I don’t care how hard this realm is, I will not live the rest of my life like that, and I won’t leave you here to face it alone.”

“I can't let you stay.” Loki’s look implored her as he took her shoulders. “I’m a murderer, a monster. Can't you see that?”

“I’m a murderer and a monster too,” she argued, “and I won’t let you make this decision for me. I was raised by an orphanage that thought I was evil but wouldn’t let me go, then I joined SHIELD because I had no other options and they turned me into a killer. I hated both lives but I endured them because I knew nothing better. Now I have a choice about my future and as much as I love you, I won’t let you make this decision for me.”

“Foolish, stubborn, silly girl,” he chided, but his voice was soft as he bent his head so their foreheads were touching.

“But I’m your foolish, stubborn and silly girl,” she reminded him. “And you’re my arrogant, obstinate, idiotic boy.”

Loki kissed her softly.

“There will be no going back,” he warned her. “We are not strong enough to open a portal without Frigga.”

“I know,” she assured him. “But hey, even if this palace does get me down to the point where I kill myself, at least I won’t be going very far.”

“Don’t even joke about that!” he said with a slight growl to his voice.

She smiled.

Taking her hand, Loki turned to face the others, who had lined up to watch them.

“Do you feel strong enough to do this?” Loki asked Frigga.

“I do.” She looked incredibly sad.

They walked out to a courtyard in the castle and Frigga hugged everyone one last time, except for Sleipnir, who would be returning with her and was saying his own goodbyes.

As Frigga embraced Faith, she whispered “Thank you for loving my son,” in her ear.

“It’s my pleasure. I’ll look after him.”

“I know.” Frigga pulled away, her tears falling freely as she looked between Loki and Faith.

Next she stepped up to Hel.

“I’m so sorry we didn’t have more time to interact,” Frigga told her. Without the soul gem to give her a body, she had only been able to interact with the other spirits here. She knew that Hel must be the loneliest girl in the nine realms and she had often argued with Odin, trying to get him to bring her home; she had been sent here as a living being, so no exchange of souls was needed to bring her home.

Odin was unmovable on the subject though, especially because since Hel had taken over as ruler of the kingdom, incidences of escaped souls, known as wraiths or ghosts on most realms, had almost stopped completely. Her efficiency was her damnation, and Frigga wasn’t happy about the injustice of it.

“Me too,” Hel agreed. “The next time you come, I’ll still have the gem though, so we can gossip like old maids.”

“I hope to see you long before that,” Frigga admitted, but she wouldn’t say more, it would be unfair to give the girl false hope.

They hugged and kissed each other goodbye.

“It’s time,” Loki said. “Hel?”

Hel’s eyes glowed red and her appearance slipped back into her former, skeletal image. She raised her arms and red tinged ripple seemed to emanate from her body, rapidly expanding until it was out of sight.

“The magic is down, you can open the portal,” she confirmed.

Loki, Frigga and Faith joined hands.

“Visualise the throne room,” Loki instructed and slowly, a white portal formed in the middle of their circle. They stepped back to allow it to grow, until it was finally big enough to accommodate Sleipnir.

Frigga looked to those who were staying in turn.

Sleipnir neighed. ‘ _Look after each other_.’

“We will,” Faith assured him.

“Give Odin hell, Gran, if you’ll pardon the pun.”

Frigga smiled; Hel had spent too much time on Midgard.

“Goodbye, Mother.”

“Fairwell, darlings.” She broke the circle and stepped forward quickly, before the portal could close, Sleipnir accompanying her.

With the circle broken, the portal shrank back to nothing in under a minute.

Faith looked to Loki, who was looking at the ground where the portal had been, trying to rein his tears in.

Faith put an arm around his waist on one side, Hel did the same from the other and he held them close for a few moments.

“Why don’t I show you around the rest of the city,” Hel suggested. “I’ve done my best to guess what some of these ruins were but I’d appreciate your perspective.”

Faith smiled at her ingenuity, giving Loki a task would help distract him from his grief.

Loki gave a final, right squeeze, then released them. “I’ll be happy to offer an opinion,” he said.

* * *

The royal court was gathered in the throne room to hear the complaints of the citizens of Asagrd. Often they involved conflicts which Odin would rule on, settling them once and for all but since sentencing a boy to have his hand removed, the crowds had gotten much smaller. Who would risk bringing a conflict to Odin when one party could be maimed for life?

Still, some came, usually those who were mortal enemies with the other party.

Odin wand Thor were as listening to an age old land dispute, when a portal flickered to life before them, rapidly growing in size until it was over two meters tall.

“Guards!” Odin called, and they came rushing over to him. The civilians left in something of a panic, wondering if this was a punishment of Odin’s.

The palace guard surrounded the portal but Thor called Mjolnir and pushed through them, eager to see what would come out of the portal. It was unlikely that they would be anything other than foes but after a day of listening to petty grievances and bickering, Thor could use some action.

“Mother?” he asked as the figure stepped out and into his arms. Sleipnir followed her out, looking pleased with himself.

“Thor,” Frigga managed to say, barely holding back her sob.

“Mother, what troubles you?” Thor asked.

“That is not your mother!” Odin pronounced, standing in front of the throne.

“Yes, I am, Odin.”

“You, Madam, are an abomination! It is bad enough that you dare steal my horse, but to take my wife’s face in an attempt to trick me! Guards, take her to the dungeon until I decide what to do with her.”

Frigga’s jaw fell open but she was so shocked by his proclamation that she was left speechless.

“You will have to go through me first,” Thor said, standing in front of her and raising his hammer in warning at his father. Sleipnir joined him, rearing up beside him in threat.

The guards hesitated

“Seize her!” Odin demanded but they still didn’t move.

“I know that there was a time when you listened to both sides of a case, carefully considering all the evidence in play. I wonder what had happened to change that.” Frigga said, calmly but the rebuke was there for all to hear.

“I will not listen to your lies, witch. Guards, take her away.”

They stepped forward, unable to disobey their king, and Thor raise his hammer, ready to strike the first blow.

Then he felt soft fingers curl around his forearm and Frigga gentle lowered his arm.

“No, Thor, there will be no blood shed in my name.”

“But-”

“Hush.” She smiled. “I will go to the dungeons and wait there until your father realises his error.”

Thor looked as if he wanted to argue but he really had no desire to fight the guards either.

“Very well, but I’m coming with you.”

He offered her his arm and Frigga took it, casting a long over her shoulder to Odin.

“You know where to find me when you’re ready to see reason, Husband.”

* * *

Frigga sat calmly on a chair she had conjured while Thor paced the length of her cell

“I do not mean to question you, Mother, I am happier than you know to see you, but I must be sure.”

“Ask me anything,” Frigga invited.

“What did you give me before my first hunt?”

“Publicly, I gave you a sword belonging to my grandfather. Privately, I gave you am enchanted pendant of Skadi, the goddess of hunting, to help bring you back safely.”

“And what did you give Loki on the day he became a warrior?”

“I gave him the book of spells that I had been using to teach him magic since he was young.”

“Why?”

“Because that book has been handed down through ten generations of the women in our family, but I had no daughters to pass it onto.”

Thor finally relaxed and Frigga found herself pulled into a crushing hug.

“Mother!” Thor sounded choked. “It truly is you?”

“Yes.” She held him until he had his emotions in check and pulled away.

“It is good to see you. I’ve missed you more than you can imagine.”

“And I, you.”

“And how did this come about, exactly?”

“Can you not guess?” she asked with a sly smile as she took a seat. Thor kept a hold of her hand and sat beside her.

“Loki?”

“Exactly.”

“Father swore he was off plotting something terrible, but I knew he had changed. Tell me, is he all right?”

“He is a living being trapped in Hel, so I would venture ‘no’, but he has not been harmed and is with his daughter, so it is not all bad news.”

“And do you perchance, know the whereabouts of the Lady Faith?”

“She was with him,” Frigga confirmed.

“She didn’t return with you?”

“She chose to stay with Loki.”

“They are…?”

“A couple, yes. I think she will very good for him.”

“I did not know they were interested in one another.” Thor gave a weary sigh. “SHIELD will not be pleased about that.”

“No, I dare say they won’t, but please reassure them that it was her choice, and that I will do everything in my power to bring her home safely.”

“I fear that will mean little to them. Their concepts of hell are very different to ours.”

“Have patience, Thor, everything will work out in the end.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Call it a feeling,” Frigga gave him an enigmatic smile.

“Now I suppose it only remains to ask you why Loki freed you? He has changed in recent years but he is hardly self-sacrificing.”

“He told me that Odin is becoming a tyrant and that I am needed back here to restore balance to the realms.”

“Perhaps tyrant is a little strong, but he has not been the same since your death.”

“Tell me,” Frigga urged, and so Thor began his tale.


End file.
